July '09 Discussion: Curse of the Mistwraith Rollcall (I am reading)

[Robin]

Post here if you are reading the book.

[DavidO]

Well, your title doesn't match your words, but I'll assume this is the place for people currently reading the book. And I am.

[Elena]

I plan to start this weekend.

[Chris]

It's next up for me, after I finish up The Hunger Games.

I would have finished this sooner, and started Curse, but logging in 107.75 hours at work this week cut into my reading time just a little.....

[Libby]

Just got started and am really enjoying it - very well written

[Elise]

I'm working on it. Have set it aside for now, but I will get back to it eventually.

[Jon]

I've been reading Curse for the last week. If I didn't have to work, I'd have finished it by now. Very well written and gripping.

[Sandi]

I just renewed the copy I checked out at the library. I have to read the Shards of Honour section of Cordelia's Honor for Beyond Reality and I need to read the copy of Naamah's Kiss I won through GoodReads and Mendoza in Hollywood because it's fast and easy to read at the gym. I do juggle 2-3 books at a time, so The Curse of the Mistwraith will probably be read at the same time as something else.

[Diana]

Hi I have read the book a while back and now have most of the series and am going to start it again so I can follow on from each book and refresh the characters again, it's a great book!! One of those books you become so attached to the characters you feel you know them!!!!

[Leslie Ann]

I'm only about 1/4 of the way through, so I doubt I'll be finished before the discussion begins, but so far, reading this book is like attending a master class in writing technique. I'm paying very close attention and taking mental notes.

As a writer myself, it's sometimes hard to let go of the analytical impulse I feel when reading the work of a writer I consider to be better than me. I study, rather than just read for the sheer pleasure of it. Sounds strange, I know, but other writers will recognize this impulse, I think.

[Libby]

Leslie wrote: "I'm only about 1/4 of the way through, so I doubt I'll be finished before the discussion begins, but so far, reading this book is like attending a master class in writing technique. I'm paying very..."

Don't worry Leslie - I'm not a writer and I do the same thing. When I read a book of this magnitude I like to digest it, not just read it. I basically read a passage and then go back over it and take notes on the characters, plots, places - part of my enjoyment of the book comes from really getting into it - especially when I know its a series. I also write down favorite passages etc.

[Jim]

I should be starting it tonight. I have 1 more chapter to go in "Mistborn" by Sanderson.

[Charles]

Mine still hasn't arrived from Amazon's seller. I wanted a first edition hardback, found one, but now it's taking up to three weeks to ship. The internet saves time like kudzu stops soil erosion. Now I'll have to read it really fast to keep up with the discussion. Never had an Amazon purchase take more than 3 days before!!! (Complain, complain!@#%)

[Janny]

Well, I am blushed and thoroughly flabberghasted - never in my wildest imagination did I imagine this book being dissected for technique. What a sweet compliment!

There will be, then, a topic to cover that.

I am very much looking forward to the discussion, in particular knowing the risks taken with the writing of this book.

You people are the best!

Charles - if you found and ordered the first edition hardback, that volume would have been out of print for ten years or more, and that means, although Amazon listed it, it would be from a reseller working through Amazon, and those can vary quite a bit. So sorry you've been made to wait for so long! I am not familiar enough with Amazon's internal workings to know if there is a way to report a complaint, there. Someone else here may be able to help, in that regard.

[Libby]

Chris wrote: "I would have finished this sooner, and started Curse, but logging in 107.75 hours at work this week cut into my reading ti..."

Don't you hate how work gets in teh way of reading! How I'd like to be home with a good book when I'm stuck here at my desk

[Janny]

On a general note: I am being extremely careful with the discussion with holding the spoilers off, until folks who are still reading finish - (it's a long book!) - there should be adequate warning as to which posts in the threads skip ahead, and there will be more spoiler topics available, as the discussion develops. Many of the people posting are not finished, yet. So the threads are treading around the central issues very lightly.

[Stefan]

I'm currently reading it. I'm at page 220 or so in my edition. I've been extremely impressed with the depth of the story so far, and the level of detail. I've found myself going back to re-read sections, to make sure I don't miss too many details. I am also taken with the lovely quality of the prose - at times very lyrical, with gorgeous images and a very rich vocabulary. This is a real discovery for me, and I look forward to participating in the discussion more actively when I get deeper into the story.

[Libby]

Janny wrote: "On a general note: I am being extremely careful with the discussion with holding the spoilers off, until folks who are still reading finish - (it's a long book!) - there should be adequate warning ..."

I really appreciate this Janny. It isn't a book you can skim quickly. There is too much detail you could miss. It requires careful reading - which is one of the many reasons I'm loving it! I'd hate to run across any spoiler too soon!

[Charles]

I've read everything through Stormed Fortress and I am now (my book finally came) rereading Mistwraith. I am so glad to see that so many of you have got it already -- that this work is deep, complex and full of emotional surprises and twists. Very, very good stuff.

Those who think that Dakar is a one-dimensional foil will later note Janny Wurts' wry sense of humor. He is a member of which group on Athera?

Yes, please read it slowly and savor it. This first book, especially, sets up the megastructure for the whole series -- plot, characters, themes, and stuff to understand.

Enter into it fully and Athera becomes a perfect crystal of a world, fully realized, deeply detailed, with layer upon layer of story line.

[Janny]

Stefan wrote: "I'm currently reading it. I'm at page 220 or so in my edition. I've been extremely impressed with the depth of the story so far, and the level of detail. I've found myself going back to re-read ..."

Stefan - great to see you here, embarking on the journey. I have some idea of where your taste lies, and it's a thrill knowing what you have in store as you progress. This is nice for me, too, because the opening story was written quite a while back, for me, and seeing it brand new through other sets of eyes reminds me of the experience, and surely, helps me see things I may need to tie together as I wrap up the last volumes, and don't want even the least thing left forgotten or hanging.

[Janny]

Libby wrote: "Janny wrote: "On a general note: I am being extremely careful with the discussion with holding the spoilers off, until folks who are still reading finish - (it's a long book!) - there should be ade..."

Libby - I am blessed by your patience, then, not wanting spoilers. The endings scenes of this book are immense, and I'd not wish to disturb the experience.

One always wonders, leading a discussion, whether somebody may be impatient - if there's a thread wanting, start it - or tell me and I will - if the discussion winds up slowly to let people finish and savor the bits on the way, that's delightful.

The old hand readers are very likely to be the first to protect you from a premature exposure, knowing what is coming in this volume and in the series, all very carefully unfolded.

[Janny]

Charles wrote: "I've read everything through Stormed Fortress and I am now (my book finally came) rereading Mistwraith. I am so glad to see that so many of you have got it already -- that this work is deep, compl..."

Charles - what a treat, having someone who has read all the way through - that will bring a depth of insight enjoyable for the fact it is not the author's, but a unique experience seen from a reader's perspective.

[Sandi]

I started it today. I've read a whole chapter. It's so descriptive. I got a great mental image of the ship and what was happening.

[Stefan]

Hey Sandi, nice to see you here! You're in for a thrill with this book.

[Sandi]

Hi Stefan! I'm everywhere!

I have a feeling this book is going to take quite a while to read. It's pretty dense and requires quite a lot of concentration. (At least in the first chapter.) But, it at least seems to have a story unlike another enormous tome that I still have 120 pages to read after 7-8 months.

[Stefan]

Sandi - it's a slow, but very rewarding read. Take your time with it. I found myself re-reading chapters several times, to let things soak in. You know I'm a fast reader - I've been working on this one for almost a week now, and enjoying it tremendously.

[Jim]

I just finished it. Yes, it was a long read, but well worth it.

[Janny]

Welcome aboard, the more the merrier!

I will be there for anyone who needs the time to finish, whether July is past, or not, I understand what's in store...a careful word in advance, the ending is not slow! The punch in the last two chapter sets won't want to be interrupted. You've had fair warning, there. People Have Missed Parties and Burned the Family Meal, and even Missed Their Bus Stop going to work. :)