Tag: books

Spoilers!

Posted March 7, 2016 by Nicky in General / 23 Comments

I seem to be rather odd in fandom in general in that I don’t care about spoilers — in fact, I actually quite like them. That puts me in line with what studies suggest, though: the University of California, San Diego did a study a while ago which took stories and gave them to naive participants (i.e. participants who hadn’t read the stories before) in two categories. One lot of the participants got a spoiler paragraph first; the other lot didn’t. And with stories that have ironic twists, mystery stories and literary stories, every single one showed the same result.

People enjoyed the stories more when they knew what was coming.

Without looking at the studies, I have a couple of theories about that. One is simply anxiety. I am an anxiously inclined person and I can end up utterly stymied with a book, not wanting to read further because I know something bad is about to happen… and I don’t know if things turn out right, whether I should be hopeful or not. But when I know the outcome, I can read the story fine. Sometimes when I’m struggling to read something (or even watch something), I ask for spoilers, or flip to the back of the book.

But there’s a lot more people without that kind of anxiety, I would guess, and for them I have a theory too — connected to one reason I like to reread books: you know what’s going to happen, and you can see the skill of the author in shaping the outcome. If it’s a question of Chekhov’s gun, you can spot the gun and feel clever; you’re reading on a different level. You can still be surprised by how things turn out, but probably you already know whether it’s the kind of story you want to read or not.

The weird thing is that people pretty consistently think they don’t like spoilers, and I wonder if that’s a social thing — “you’ll never believe what’s going to happen!” The whole idea that anticipation is going to make it better.

How about you? Spoilers, no spoilers? Thinking about experimenting with this now?

And will someone please have pity and tell me whether The Winner’s Kiss ends well for Arin and Kestrel?

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Review – The Last Enchantment

Posted March 7, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of The Last Enchantment by Mary StewartThe Last Enchantment, Mary Stewart

The Last Enchantment really suffers the most from the fact that it’s written from the point of view of a supporting character. Merlin’s an epic, iconic figure, but he’s not Arthur — and this version emphasises this even more, with Arthur’s seemingly endless heroism, patience, temperance and sensitivity. I love the Arthurian story too, but it feels like Stewart shielded almost all the characters from harm — even, in this case, some of the female characters, despite the misogynistic to ambiguous treatment in the rest of the series. She has surprising sympathy for Guinevere, particularly, considering she had no mercy for Morgause.

Stewart weaves in an astonishing number of the disparate stories — the two Guineveres, Nimue/Niniane/Vivien, Melwas, etc — but, almost because of that, it lacks richness to me. It feels like everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, especially with the way she shields her characters from the consequences; we’ve got Nimue and Merlin in a love story, and Nimue does indeed bury Merlin alive, and yet she didn’t mean to. And Merlin is buried alive and ‘dies’ there, but… he doesn’t die.

The writing is still good, and it was entertaining enough, but… this series falls short of excellence.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – An Earthly Knight

Posted March 6, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of An Earthly Knight by Janet McNoughtonAn Earthly Knight, Janet McNoughton

This was another reread, basically to match The Perilous Gard, since they’re both Tam Lin themed. This one is a mite more traditional, and sticks pretty close to the ballad, rather than being based on the situation the ballad lays out and then growing in other directions. The interesting thing is that it brings in another ballad, one I’m less familiar with: ‘Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight‘. That and the medieval, historical setting ground the fairytale elements very well and make the whole thing feel more solid.

Unlike with The Perilous Gard, I didn’t love it much more this time than last, but all the same I did appreciate the cleverness more, I think. Because I knew it was there, I was watching and waiting for it, picking up on every hint.

Altogether, it’s a very satisfying story, though it doesn’t take many liberties with the story of Tam Lin — it only embroiders it, bringing in historical figures and contemporary politics. If you know the ballad, you know more or less how the story goes; unlike with The Perilous Gard, there’s no real wondering about how exactly things will come out. Still, the historical details make it more emotional, and the payoff more satisfying, I think.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Tolkien: An Illustrated Atlas

Posted March 5, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of An Atlas of Tolkien by David DayTolkien: An Illustrated Atlas, David Day

This isn’t quite an atlas in the sense of containing maps, unless you take it a bit more metaphorically to be a sort of field guide to Middle-Earth. If you’re a big fan of Tolkien, you probably don’t need to read this for itself, as it just summarises and teases info from the books, but if The Silmarillion is too heavy for you, it might help you through. It’s also just a gorgeous book: lots of illustrations, lovely binding, etc, etc.

Less of a book to read and more for reference — and a good taster of various artists who’ve done work in Tolkien’s universe. I’m going to have to look some of these up, and maybe even try and get a couple of prints.

Rating: 3/5

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Stacking the Shelves

Posted March 5, 2016 by Nicky in General / 23 Comments

This week there has been a, uh, bookalanche. Between preorders and filling my stamp card for vouchers at Waterstones (and finding a pre-filled one in my purse too!) and Bookmooch, I’m set for life, I think.

Library books:

Cover of The Selection by Kiera Cass Cover of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin Cover of Alex + Ada Vol 1 by Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna

I’ve been warned that The Selection is probably not my thing, but I promised to try it all the same, in a bit of boundary-pushing. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, well, the summary I’ve read doesn’t interest me? But I know people have loved it, so I’m giving it a try. And I’ve heard good things about Alex + Ada, and I’ve loved android stories since The Positronic Man, so bring it on.

Books bought:

Cover of Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter Cover of The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine Cover of Feed by Mira Grant Cover of Deadline by Mira Grant

Cover of A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall Cover of The Vagrant by Peter Newman Cover of Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip Cover of Starborn by Lucy Hounsom

Cover of Steal the Sky by Megan O'Keefe Cover of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Cover of Fires of the Faithful by Naomi Kritzer Cover of Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

Cover of The Child Queen by Nancy McKenzie Cover of The High Queen by Nancy McKenzie Cover of The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne Valente

All of these have been on my wishlist for a while, or are new copies of books I’ve lost or only had as ebooks. It’s quite the haul, I know. There’s actually a few more, thanks to my sister finding some of Alastair Reynolds’ books for me in a second hand bookshop, but I’ll feature those next week!

Books read:

Cover of The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart Cover of Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Vicious by V.E. Schwab Cover of The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne Valente

Reviews this week:
–Courage is the Price, by Lynn O’Connacht. Great depiction of anxiety, and also being brave and growing up and facing things. 4/5 stars
–The Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkoski. Liked this so much more than I expected. Interesting world, and an awesome female lead. 4/5 stars
–Sunset Mantle, by Alter S. Reiss. Epic fantasy, itty bitty living space. 4/5 stars
–The Story of Kullervo, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Disappointing, even for a fan as academically minded as I am. 2/5 stars
–The Wicked + The Divine: Commercial Suicide, by Kieron Gillen. Lacking Jamie McKelvie’s art, I found this kind of unappealing, and the story didn’t progress. 2/5 stars
–The Perilous Gard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope. A book I appreciated much more on a second read, with a perfect love story. 5/5 stars
–Flashback Friday: Railsea, by China Miéville. Apparently, I found this one unputdownable! 5/5 stars

Other posts:
–Meeting Will Stanton. A post about my first experiences with one of my favourite series of books!
–Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books To Read If You’re In the Mood For Complex Fantasy Worlds. Wow, now that’s a long post title… At least it’s descriptive!
–ShelfLove March Update. My progress on the Shelf Love 2016 challenge, plus a bit about this month’s discussion topic — tropes you hate.
–March TBR. Ten books I have to read this month.
–The lesbian dies (again). After waking up to find my sister upset over developments in a TV show, I had a rant about the tragic queer narrative.

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Review – Railsea

Posted March 4, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Railsea by China MiévilleRailsea, China Miéville

Originally reviewed 30th November, 2012

This has to get five stars because it kept me up at night, tantalised me when I didn’t get chance to read, and enchanted me totally. While it’s marketed (and shelved by me) as YA, it’s China Miéville: there’s plenty to keep you guessing no matter how old you are.

I love the ideas, the bits of other stories (Moby Dick being a prominent one), the worldbuilding, the pace of it… The use of an & sign for “and” took some getting used to, but all in all I loved it, and I think the prose was pretty awesome. The whole bit about the & being like a trainline…

The end, what they discover, sort of made me laugh, and then the sailing off at the end — perfect. The characters are all interesting, sympathetic in their own weird ways — I have huge affection for Daybe, and Captain Narphi fascinated me.

Really, even if you haven’t got on with China Miéville’s work before, I do recommend this one.

Rating: 5/5

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March TBR

Posted March 3, 2016 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments

I don’t seem to have been doing very well at keeping up with my TBR lists. On the one hand, I like having a fair number of books on them, because I need to be reading at least a book a day to meet my reading goals. On the other hand, it more or less guarantees that as soon as I get distracted by other shiny books, I end up neglecting the list — especially when I go down the rabbit hole of a series or a particular theme.

Sooo, here’s a compromise: here’s ten books I really must read this month. And to make sure I stick to it, I’ve actually set it up with Beeminder, so that money comes directly out of my book budget if I don’t read these books (which are mostly ARCs and library books). You can follow my goal here… and here’s my ten:

  • The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home, by Catherynne Valente. Just out, and I’ve been so impatient about this, I have to read it this month or look silly.
  • The Winner’s Crime, by Marie Rutkoski. I need to read my ARC of the third and final book by the release date this month…
  • The Winner’s Kiss, by Marie Rutkoski. I have until the 23rd. Ish.
  • The Paper Menagerie & Other Stories, by Ken Liu. Out on the 8th, so I need to read it noooow.
  • Different Class, by Joanne Harris. Due out in April, and I’ve had it, uh… a while now.
  • Tam Lin, by Pamela Dean. Because it’s high time I got round to it.
  • Solstice Wood, by Patricia McKillip. Which also entails reading Winter Rose too, probably, but the main thing is reading this, from my backlog.
  • Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell. I bought it on release day and still haven’t read it. I definitely look silly.
  • The Wicked Day, by Mary Stewart. It’s been on the backlog ages and it’s part of a series I’m already reading. Awesome.
  • A Stranger in Olondria, by Sofia Samatar. A random choice from the backlog!

(And now excuse me as I go down a rabbit hole of setting up Beeminder for my Fitbit goals and backlog tackling, too.)

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Review – The Perilous Gard

Posted March 3, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 3 Comments

Cover of The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie PopeThe Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope

The Perilous Gard was a reread for me — somewhat at random, in fact. It’s just by my elbow in my new desk/shelf set-up, and I was procrastinating on my assignment, and I found myself reading it… And I have no idea why I rated it so poorly before. The writing is great; you can envision every scene, whether it be the sumptuous bedroom Kate awakes in or a grassy hollow in the wood, the overhanging threat of stone and stone and more stone or the brightness of a Faerie gathering. It makes every scene come alive, and the characters too — slightly silly, trusting Alicia; sensible, awkward Kate; torn and guilty Christopher.

The love story works perfectly for me, as well: not surprising, perhaps, considering the way they needle each other. The way Kate refuses to put up with Christopher’s dramatic manpain while still sympathising and understanding and trying to help him. The way that they fall in love, talking about practicalities of draining fenland and building a farm. The way that they keep each other sane and whole, and find each other in the end.

And there’s subtlety in most of the characterisation, too: the Faerie Folk are strange, and think differently, but there’s moments where their emotions seem close to human, where Kate comes close to understanding them, and they her. The only really unambiguously bad one is Master John, who organises things so he can profit from the Faerie people and their Holy Well. They act according to their nature, while he is cowardly and motivated by greed.

It’s also lovely the way it’s woven in with real history: I don’t know if Alicia and Kate were real people (however far from reality this book goes with the fantasy elements), but the story is close enough that it might be, with them waiting on Princess Elizabeth during Queen Mary’s reign, and exiled for interfering. The clash between pagan and Christian is one that many books have touched on, and this one does so with a fairly light hand (and is isolated from the difficulties of Catholicism and Protestantism that went on at the time, though I think Kate is clearly a Protestant), but it works.

The accompanying illustrations are also, for the most part, charming, with just the right amount of life and movement.

Rating: 5/5

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ShelfLove March Update

Posted March 2, 2016 by Nicky in General / 6 Comments

ShelfLove Challenge 2016

ShelfLove Update!

Welcome to March! Since I already had two posts scheduled for yesterday, I delayed this till the second of the month, buuut it contains the stats for up to the end of 29th February, not for 1st March (when I, hahaha, got more books).

  • Books bought this year so far: 32 (out of 250 max).
  • February budget: £50/£50.
  • Owned books read: 24/200 (10 books behind).
  • Books read overall: 48/366 (11 books behind).

So I’m not doing too badly, but I am behind, and I’ve been a bit liberal about book buying. My goal was mostly just to buy less than last year, so 250 is the max; that means 20 per month, so although 32 is too many for February, it’s balanced by the fact that I bought no books in January. Now I just have to behave myself (and read books I already have).

Aaand the theme for this month is: that one book trope that gets on your nerves. And oh, boy, do I ever have it. I’m reading The Winner’s Crime right now, and though I enjoy the world and the characters, there is one thing driving me totally bananas: lack of communication. I hate it when relationships are totally fucked up by a lack of honesty; it’s this visceral dislike that is making The Winner’s Crime very difficult to read (and has annoyed me before in countless other books, e.g. Fitz’s relationship with Molly in Assassin’s Apprentice et al).

I get it! Talking is difficult! But constant miscommunication, especially when you should know better, and extra specially when the plot hinges on you simply not communicating… gah! Get thee hence!

This may be linked to the fact that I find it super embarrassing when people do stupid things, even in fiction…

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Review – The Wicked + The Divine: Commercial Suicide

Posted March 2, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of The Wicked + The Divine Vol 3 by Jamie McKelvie and Kieron GillenThe Wicked + The Divine: Commercial Suicide, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie & guest artists

Commercial Suicide is right, sadly. I wanted to love this book. I adored the heck out of the first two volumes, and especially with that twist at the end of volume two. And then… McKelvie goes on holiday, we get a load of backstory and alternate points of view, and the story almost entirely lacks the characters we’ve come to love. Partly because there’s a high body count in these comics, but also because Odin can’t be anyone’s idea of a hero, and it’s becoming apparent that Ananke is more than she’s letting on.

I don’t actually hate the art in the way some other readers do. It has broken the consistency of the series, but it was interesting looking at other takes on the characters — and I actually liked the art in the comic about Sekhmet, which I know other people really hated. It just seems to suit her, somehow.

But… this just feels so thin compared to the other volumes. I wanted so much more, especially after Fandemonium.

Rating: 2/5

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