false 50 674 533 true 5668478 read 2 true 1051556 currently-reading 139 true 1051555 to-read 51 false 3344379 favorites 2 false 4203723 dislikes 1 false 4162988 unfinished http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75458535 Cancer Ward (Paperback) by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73837405 to: The Birthday of the World and Other Stories (Gollancz) by Ursula K. LeGuin
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74803787 to: The Handmaid's Tale (Paperback) by Margaret Atwood
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70820536 to: Monkey (Penguin Classics) by Cheng-en Wu
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72504817 to: Changing Planes: Armchair Travel for the Mind (Gollancz) by Ursula K. LeGuin
bookshelves: favorites
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71527312 to: Brightly Burning (Valdemar) by Mercedes Lackey
I picked up Mercedes Lackey's 'Brightly Burning' for $1 at my local library, and unfortunately after reading it I can see why they wanted to get rid of it.

The book starts off not magnificently, but interestingly enough, with the main character, Lavan, being sent off to school by his parents. Over a hundred pages cover his experience at school, where he is bullied by older students. Lackey actually deals with this section well enough, even though Lavan isn't a particularly likeable protagonist, I think many readers will be able to relate to the fear and suffering that comes with being bullied. Lavan's feelings and reactions, as well as the attitudes of his classmates are covered realistically - this is one of the few strengths that the book has.

Eventually Lavan 'overcomes' his bullies, becomes a Herald trainee (due to his gift, the ability to manipulate fire) and is 'chosen' by a Companion. This is where the book, which for the first 100 pages is rather average but decent fantasy, starts to really go downhill.
The focus of the book shifts to a strange love triangle (between Lavan, a girl called Elenor, and Lavan's Companion, Kalira) and the war between Valdemar and the Karsites. The war is a rather mundane affair, even though it is a main plot point, it has this oddly tacked on feel; the Karsites are typical religious fanatics, who want to wipe out Valdemar, the Companions and Heralds because they are 'evil'. The Karsites' motives are never properly explored, and despite the fact that Lavan and other characters ponder over the fact that many of the Karsite soldiers are probably ordinary people like them, who don't deserve to die, and most likely don't want to fight either, since the reader never gets to know the Karsites, they remain a faceless enemy that doesn't inspire sympathy. The author gives only a few characters on the Valdemar force the bare minimum of character development, so it's difficult to care about what happens to either side during the war.

What really ruined this book more than anything for me though was the love triangle. Lavan has a 'life bond' with his Companion, Kalira, a being who isn't a horse, but physically resembles one. I found the flirtatious exchanges between the two of them downright creepy. Even though Companions aren't horses (as the author constantly reminds us), Kalira is incredibly horse-like, she is more like an intelligent magical horse than a powerful being.
Lavan and Kalira's relationship is never developed, the reader is just made to accept that they will never care romantically for anyone except each other, (even though there is barely any basis for these feelings) because of their 'life bond'. To me, the life bond is the author being lazy - instead of developing a meaningful relationship between the characters, she just slaps the term 'life bond' in place and that's it, they are bonded for better or worse, inseparable. Cue mushy feelings, don't worry about whether or not the relationship works.

If you don't mind reading about the romantic love between a boy and horse, and 300 pages of build up to a boring war sounds good to you, then I recommend 'Brightly Burning'. Otherwise steer clear. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72317987 Never Let Me Go (Paperback) by Kazuo Ishiguro
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71854839 to: White As Snow (Fairy Tales) by Tanith Lee
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