the_cat > Recent Status Updates

It seems the author had ro be convinced by his wife, his editor and his fans not to kill Yashim by the end of this book. Still, the planned scene is there and other people dies anyway.... Drats :(

“That’s the way here,” he explained. “Roads always in a shocking state. Mules vanish into holes, that sort of thing. Steps worse.”
“I suppose that’s a tradition? Upheld by the worshipful company of Ottoman road menders?”

I've been in Istanbul and streets are like that. I guess they were the same 200 years ago. rotflol

Not quite happy with Diane's attitude during this book and how it ends and her blatant involvement.
I'm starting to see a pattern. Time to take a break from these books.

I looked around the room again. No other chairs. Oh, well. I opened up my coat, making sure that Doug could see my own 9mm. and I reached into a side pocket and took out a thin piece of cardboard. I smiled at him as I tossed my business card into his lap.
'We're your worst nightmare, Doug," I said.
"Hunh?"
I motioned to the card. "We're magazine writers, and we're here to talk."

This book was written in 1995 and scanned now, almost 20 years later, for ebook editions. In the end there is a short afterword from the author explaining how he would have liked to fix a couple bits that today are a bit style outdated. Funny, those two bits were the only ones bothering me. This is unputdownable.

‘I love my ocean,’ Lettie said, in the end.
‘It’s just pretending, though,’ I told her, feeling like I was letting childhood down by admitting it. ‘Your pond. It’s not an ocean. It can’t be. Oceans are bigger than seas. Your pond is just a pond.’
‘It’s as big as it needs to be,’ said Lettie Hempstock, nettled.

Surprised the author isn't more popular. On the slow side but this was very good. **hooked

I had never read a book by SK because I don't read horror so I can't compare with his previous books but... On the shady side I am not impressed with his writing. The kid, Jerome, is black. Sure. And we are reminded of that fact on every page. Come on we aren't in the 60s anymore.. For a few pages I thought he was redeeming himself with a non-hea ending but nah... On the bright side the book is a real page turner.

Notwithstanding her youth, she was large and powerful–a splendid, clean-limbed animal, with a round, high forehead, which denoted more intelligence than most of her kind possessed. So, also, she had a great capacity for mother love and mother sorrow.

Seriously, I would have been happier with 200 pages less of battles and skirmishes. (zzzzzz) Do they pay writers for page written? Only at around 75% the book goes suddenly all Indiana Jones and improves. And now I'm curious about the next book...

I keep reading because it's well written and because I like the characters, but omg more than 400 pages already of one battle after the next, and only a couple bits of magic. I don't like fantasies where some smart ass is shaking a wand all the time to get everything done but there has to be some middle point in which you don't forget what you are really reading...