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June 08
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Jeremy
gave  to:
Assassin's Quest (The Farseer Trilogy, #3)
by
Robin Hobb
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
Jeremy said:
"Book 3 of the Farseer's trilogy. Often I am disappointed with the final book in a series, mostly because the final book in the series tends to wander from the main point of the story. This book, unlike the others, begins with the main character try...more
Book 3 of the Farseer's trilogy. Often I am disappointed with the final book in a series, mostly because the final book in the series tends to wander from the main point of the story. This book, unlike the others, begins with the main character trying to remember how to be human again. He then set's out alone on a goal to kill his uncle, who had tried to kill him. Lots of things get wrapped up in this book, such as Forgings, the Old Blood, the power of the Old Blood, and who the Elderlings really are.
The only problem with this book, as I have seen from others, is the lack of a "happy ending". No, he doesn't get the girl, he doesn't become the King, and he doesn't save the King's life. He doesn't even get to kill his Uncle, which as a little frustrating as the sick little man needed to die and I wanted it to be done at the main character's hand. But it still was worth the read, and I gave it four stars because I was do engrossed with the book my wife got a little angry with me. ^_^ (less)
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Jeremy
gave to:
Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy, #2)
by
Robin Hobb
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
Jeremy said:
"Book 2 of the Farseer serices is just as good as book one, though the tragedy becomes more common. With an attempt on the life of FitzChivalry by his uncle, Prince Regal, the court life becomes very focused and tense. At this point in the book I be...more
Book 2 of the Farseer serices is just as good as book one, though the tragedy becomes more common. With an attempt on the life of FitzChivalry by his uncle, Prince Regal, the court life becomes very focused and tense. At this point in the book I became a little frustrated with the main character, because he continued to act like a child, missing so many clues that were so blatantly obvious to anyone that would have read "The Prince". FitzChivalry becomes the anti-hero in the story, full of flaws and secrets that he is constantly trying to guard against.
Another good book, either on it's own, or in the series. It just made me hunger for the next book so I could see what happened to young FitzChivalry. (less)
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Jeremy
gave to:
Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, #1)
by
Robin Hobb
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my rating:
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read in May, 2009
Jeremy said:
"Assassin's Apprentice is the first of the Farseer Trilogy, and a book that I didn't expect to enjoy. I'm not a big fan of blood and gore, with lots of death and destruction, but this book was nothing like that. A young man who at the age of 6 canno...more
Assassin's Apprentice is the first of the Farseer Trilogy, and a book that I didn't expect to enjoy. I'm not a big fan of blood and gore, with lots of death and destruction, but this book was nothing like that. A young man who at the age of 6 cannot remember his past is turned over to his father's family, the royal family, as his mother's family did not want to have anything to do with him. Why? Because he was born out of wedlock. As such, his position in his grandfather's court is tenuous.
The story is compelling, with plenty of heartache and pain. I had always thought that most fantasy genre books were either very Young Adult (i.e. Xanth novels), or very, very adult with little more than pornography (which i have not wanted to read). This book and series shows the truly adult side of fantasy with true to life tragedy and consequences to actions, and what little sex mentioned is managed with grace and dignity. This series is the only series that I opted to purchase through the Kindle software, because it is that good. (less)
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Jeremy
gave to:
Beric the Briton (Paperback)
by
G.A. Henty
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my rating:
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read in May, 2009
Jeremy said:
"Beric the Briton is the story of an Iceni tribe chief that has an adventure through the Roman world at the time and rule of Nero. His adventures are wild and exciting, the reading was light and fun, and the historical references to society for both ...more
Beric the Briton is the story of an Iceni tribe chief that has an adventure through the Roman world at the time and rule of Nero. His adventures are wild and exciting, the reading was light and fun, and the historical references to society for both the Iceni and the Romans were spot on. That being said, this is a work of fiction, and has great appeal to any student of the Ancient world.
On a side note, I would have to say that this story should seem familiar, if you have seen the movie "Gladiator". The movie stole almost shamelessly from this book, having only changed a couple of scenes and characters. And, as always, the original book is far better than the movie. Another movie that would have borrowed heavily from this book would be "Quo Vadis", though it doesn't follow it exactly.
All in all, it was a great book. Not uncommonly great, as the prose was a little inconsistent, but still a great book and a great read. You can find it for free with the Gutenberg Press. I highly recommend you read it. (less)
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May 21
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Jeremy
gave  to:
Red Mars (Mars Trilogy, #1)
by
Kim Stanley Robinson
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my rating:
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read in May, 2009
Jeremy said:
"This was another book that I got free for the Kindle and Stanza, and one that I was looking forward to reading. I love Mars, and any story that relates to the settlement, study, and colonization of Mars fascinates me.
But I was disappoi...more
This was another book that I got free for the Kindle and Stanza, and one that I was looking forward to reading. I love Mars, and any story that relates to the settlement, study, and colonization of Mars fascinates me.
But I was disappointed. The book seemed to drag on forever in unimportant details, which I would often skim over and still be able to follow the story. Every chapter built up to some sexual encounter that was often just there for the sake of being there. I could almost see the plan for this book, as every chapter seemed to be built in the same format and almost rubber-stamped in it's plot.
The only thing that compelled me to complete reading this book was the development of Mars as a possible living planet. The terraforming efforts they were trying and the possible effects were interesting, and that was what kept me reading this book. Often times I would find myself skipping several paragraphs just to get to those sections.
If I were to continue to read this series, it would be purely for the terraforming aspects of the book. Unfortunately, the constant usage of sex as the catalyst for every chapter will probably kill any future reading.(less)
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Jeremy
gave  to:
His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)
by
Naomi Novik
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my rating:
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read in April, 2009
Jeremy said:
"This book was offered as a freebie for the Kindle and on Stanza, so I thought I would give it a try. It wasn't so much because I wanted to read the book, but rather to compare the Kindle app with the Stanza app for reading.
The reason w...more
This book was offered as a freebie for the Kindle and on Stanza, so I thought I would give it a try. It wasn't so much because I wanted to read the book, but rather to compare the Kindle app with the Stanza app for reading.
The reason why I wasn't initially impressed with the book was because of the idea: dragons in the Napoleonic Wars? What?!? It didn't sit well with me. But I thought I would give it a try. After all, it was free right? All I would lose was the time reading it.
How wrong I was. The book was perhaps not the best in prose, and some of the phrases used left me confused in the story. But it gave a huge insight into the world of the Navy, as well as a possible world that would grow around Airmen. The story was compelling enough that I wanted to finish it, and even want to move on to the next series. The next book became a possible purchase on my list. (less)
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April 29
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Jeremy
gave to:
The Prince (Paperback)
by
Niccolò Machiavelli
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my rating:
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read in April, 2009
Jeremy said:
"When I began reading Machiavelli's The Prince, I had assumed I would be in for a tale of blood-thirsty, cold-hearted political banter and planning. It was nothing like I expected. Instead I was treated to an analysis of contemporary (for his time) ...more
When I began reading Machiavelli's The Prince, I had assumed I would be in for a tale of blood-thirsty, cold-hearted political banter and planning. It was nothing like I expected. Instead I was treated to an analysis of contemporary (for his time) and ancient political actions, and how the results could be measured. His insights in several areas were so powerful, it was as though a light had turned on in my mind. Finally, I thought, I could understand modern politics and political positioning.
The problem is the prose, at least in the translation that I read, was rather dry and not engaging. That is the only reason why I gave this book three stars instead of five. (less)
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February 16
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Jeremy
gave  to:
The War in the Air (Penguin Classics)
by
H.G. Wells
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my rating:
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read in February, 2009
Jeremy said:
"At first this was a no brainer for me: airships, airships, and more airships! Of course I would love this book. But it is a little more than that, it's a book about the final devastation that comes from unchecked warfare, and the societal regress ...more
At first this was a no brainer for me: airships, airships, and more airships! Of course I would love this book. But it is a little more than that, it's a book about the final devastation that comes from unchecked warfare, and the societal regress to a "natural" political state.
As shown in the Time Machine, H. G. Wells is a bit of a socialist. But I would go a bit further than that, he's more of an anarchist. The eventual result of warfare for him is an anarchy that settles into a roughly feudal village life. Why? Because of continual "nationalistic" feelings. In the epilogue, the main character's brother laments the need for the war in the first place, and tells of the life before the war.
Books like these are scary, because I could see the blitzing of London in it, with aerial assaults doing damage to everything and everyone, but no actual military accomplishments because ground forces couldn't be moved in to secure the population. Instead two nations (or in the book, all nations) expend their life's blood in monetary funds and resources to do as much damage to each other without making any headway.
The book has a very accurate portrayal of a post-bombed New York, which almost parallels the exact reaction of New Yorkers and the US as a whole after September 11th. It's almost spooky in it's parallels.
H. G. Wells had a pretty good grasp of human nature, in my opinion. He sees the tranquil agrarian life the ideal society for mankind, as the daily struggles keep ones mind from being preoccupied with ideas of conquest and glory. There is more glory and excitement in the growing of crops than there is in conquering other nations. After all, while it's very possible to conquer a nation, what do you do afterwards? The administrative tasks make world conquest more of a hassle than it's worth in glory. (less)
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February 05
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Jeremy
gave to:
Round the Moon (Paperback)
by
Jules Verne
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my rating:
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read in February, 2009
Jeremy said:
"Another good book by Jules Verne, this one focused more on the surface of the moon and the trip, rather than the physics and engineering. Some things were a little unbelievable (i.e., opening a port-hole to throw out the dead body of one of their do...more
Another good book by Jules Verne, this one focused more on the surface of the moon and the trip, rather than the physics and engineering. Some things were a little unbelievable (i.e., opening a port-hole to throw out the dead body of one of their dogs), but a good read all the same. The idea that there would be enough of an atmosphere on the moon to support any life is laughable by what we know today, but it seems it was a pretty popular theory back in the 1800's. ^_^(less)
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Jeremy
gave to:
From the Earth to the Moon (Paperback)
by
Jules Verne
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my rating:
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read in February, 2009
Jeremy said:
"I just finished this story, and it was pretty interesting. A little boring as the engineering chapters tended to go on and on, but it made you believe that one could build a "gun" that would fire a projectile to the moon. Interestingly en...more
I just finished this story, and it was pretty interesting. A little boring as the engineering chapters tended to go on and on, but it made you believe that one could build a "gun" that would fire a projectile to the moon. Interestingly enough, many of the ideas and theories that were used in this book were also used in the first missions to the moon. (less)
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