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War of the Spider Queen Book V: Annihilation - Philip Athans

I just can't get through this. I got to the middle at my usual speed and after that I've been reading just a few pages once in a while. Something is wrong with this part, I don't know what, but it makes me stop reading. Book VI is lying on a shelf next to my bed, waiting to be read, but I can't start reading it until I finish the previous one.
 
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I'm currently reading Magic Time by Marc Scott Zicree and Barbara Hambly. It's a thoroughly enjoyable piece of fiction and the inspiration for a novella I'm writing myself called Soul Evolution. :)
 
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Is that an SF title, Kawika? I'd like to see Barbara Hambly get back into her sf-fantasy books, though her New Orleans post-Civil War mysteries aren't bad. (Good luck on your own opus, as well.)

I'm reading The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell--and just finished a well written but [depressing biography of Janis Joplin -well, go figure--called Scars of Sweet Paradise.
 
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The Will to Power

Ive always wanted to sit down and just read a book by ol' Fred, but have never gotten around to it till now. Seen many quotes, but now I'm into the real meat and potatos so to speak of Nietzche. It's interesting, I'll say that much.

As with most philosophy that I have read however, I always come away from it feeling like Im just reading the ramblings of somebody with far too much time on thier hands!
 
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Having lectured in Philosophy in my past, I sympathise, but it sure can produce some great arguments!! :)
 
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Hehe ... that is why for my existential fix I prefer to read the fiction of Sartre of Camus - get much of the philosophy and some really good story-telling as well. I re-read 'The Stranger' last summer.
 
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Sartre tends to contradict himself too much; I did a major analysis of some of his work when I was in University many years ago. People like Beckett are much more fun!! :)
 
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Sartre tends to contradict himself too much; I did a major analysis of some of his work when I was in University many years ago. People like Beckett are much more fun!! :)
People spin that as 'evolution of concepts' ... good stories, though ;)
 
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I'm reading Sebag Montefiores biography of Prince Potemkin and Catherine the Great. Fun stuff but as with all history books it can get a bit annoying with extensive quotation of primary sources (in this case rather silly love letters between the two). After that I'll go into some -68 commie propaganda by Swedens chief unreformed Stalinist (Jan Myrdal), which will be an interesting study in that time period...
 
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I just finished Robin Hobb's second series about FitzChivalry Farseer. The books are Fool's Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool's Fate. The series is quite slow moving and she seems to get stuck rambling sometimes. It was average.
 
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I just finished Robin Hobb's second series about FitzChivalry Farseer.
Just started "Ship of Magic" myself, although I'm barely reading recently so my progress is slooooow. Enjoyed Robin's first series a long time back, so I finally got around to getting the second. We'll see how it holds up.
 
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My kids both read 'Bridge to Tarabithia' (upcoming movie) within the space of the day yesterday (MLK day off) ... and we're doing a 'family ready' on the Deltora Quest series ... it is nice that we can still do that on rare occasion.
 
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bridge to tarabithia-i remember reading that book in either grade school or middle school. it had a profound effect on me and my imagination/emotions. we got to see the 'made for tv' movie of it afterwards that i believe came out around the same time...
 
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After reading Hobbs first 2 series, I decided not to bother with any more!! Average is the best they deserve!! Perhaps she's trying to emulate Jordan!! :)
 
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I also read the first two by hobb.... she can't even come up with names in her first series LOL. There is some interesting parts though. But of course it cannot even be compared to master Jordan.
 
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Jordan is terrible. He had a wonderful 5 book tale that he's stretching to infinity just to make money. Nynaeve tugs on her braid at least 2000 times. None of his male characters act like males. It's pathetic. If Reader's Digest ever does an abridged version, I'll read that.

GG, I wasn't sure if you were calling Jordan a master of blah blah or if you really mean you think he is a masterful storyteller. I hope the former :D The first 3 books were pretty good then the series went straight to hell.
 
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I agree on Jordan--I read up to number 7 or so and then finally realized he was never going to explain or resolve any of the plot twists in 1,2,3 etc. --ended up giving them to the local library. The Aes Sedai were a great creation, but I'm too old to try to remember 18 new characters in each book.;)

Just started Guy Gavriel Kay's new one 'The Last Light of the Sun'--it's a bit melodramatic occasionally, but I have hopes it will improve.
 
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I must be the only one left that still likes Jordan. Sure, he's a bit windy, but it's going to take a few pages to maintain 75 different plot lines and a couple thousand named characters. I'm not buying that there's only one book left, though. Unless the thing is 3000 pages long, he's got too many loose ends to clean up.
 
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Jordan's problem is that most of his characters are one dimensional whiners and it seems that series is going nowhere. I quess his slogan is quantity over quality.
 
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More like a 180 new characters per book, all of them more meaningless than the previous and non-distunguishable names (there seems to be like a dozen Aes Sedai with names starting with the letter M, for example). The problem with Jordan is, he cannot possibly complete all the plots he created in a meaningful way. Also there is too much bath taking, tea sipping, dress making and similar stuff that only make up page count. This stuff is so much, it makes the latest Wheel of Time volumes seem like a parody on itself.

One of the things that I liked in Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson is the compact style of writing - there are non of Jordan's (more probably his wife Hariet's, but this is another story) non-sence writings.

Lately, I've started A Song of Fire and Ice by George Martin. While it was some good in the beginning (but certainly nothing spectacular) it quickly decended to Jordanism - far too many plots, far too many characters, and more than enough royal balls, dress making, dinner making and eating. And far too few characters that I care about. On the third book I grew entirely tired the hell out of this series for the time being.
 
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