David Raynes

As always, R. A. Salvatore provides a quick, action-packed, and overall just enjoyable novel in the Forgotten Realms universe. It was a nice break after the last book, and I look forward to reading the next two books in the series.

I finished this a few days ago. I think it is one of those books I may have to go back and read at least one or two more times before I can really put together a definite opinion about it.

First impressions, though, I enjoyed it.

I finally polished off the first book of Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series.

I was very impressed. You might think that it took me a while to finish this book because I've been busy with work and wedding stuff, but I also wanted to take my time with it as well. It is just so well written that I wanted to digest the book slowly, making sure I was able to fully appreciate every last bit of it. I have already started on the next book in the series; I just could not keep myself away. :)

I finished my latest David Gemmell this past weekend. Definately my second favorite book in the series. Good story, great ending. And it makes a great companion to the story of the first book, Legend, which will always be one of my favorite books overall.

I just finished my first Dean Koontz novel, Lightning. It came highly recommended from Jenn.

For me personally, it was a little slow getting started. Once the main schtick of the book was revealed, I started getting into it though. There is definately an interesting twist to it. All in all, not a bad book. I was getting caught up in it as it progressed faster and faster towards the end. I can't say too much about it without spoiling the premise.

I have now got yet another David Gemmell book under my belt. I would have finished this one sooner had Neverwinter Nights not engrossed me so much over the weekend.

Anyways, Mr. Gemmell has definately cemented his place in my favorite authors list (along with Ray Bradbury, C.J. Cherryh, and others). I really enjoyed the book. It's just a good story, and I was eager to learn more about Druss. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of The Legend of Deathwalker. I am a big fan of the world Gemmell has created in this series.

On an interesting side note, apparently somebody finally got word to whoever needed to hear it, because the new cover of Legend depicts Druss using his actual weapon, an axe, instead of a sword like on the copy I have. Either way, though, this is a series I plan on rereading a few years down the road. I have just gotten too much enjoyment of it not to.

I polished off another one today, though, I should admit that I had gotten two-thirds of the way through it before I started Dreamcatcher.

I could sit here and tell you how good it was, but I think the fact that it won the Hugo award in 1961 speaks for itself.

This book was an eerily appropriate read, given the events of the last few months. It deals with the long-term aftereffects of a nuclear war that brings humanity to the verge of anihilation, with a bit of a Catholic twist.

Definately worth a read.

It's been a long time since I read any Stephen King, but with the movie coming out, I figured I'd give this book a go. The last King book I read was Insomnia, which was a tad over my head at the time, but may be worth a reread now that I'm getting back into his novels.

I enjoyed the book, as I tend to with King novels. The writing is lightweight (for lack of a better term) and reads very quickly, despite the fact that King tends to be pretty wordy (certainly not a bad thing though). I recall hearing one of the actors from the movie remarking in an interview in the HBO: Making Of for Dreamcatcher that King writes male relationships well. For better or worse, I went into the book with that in mind, and I have to agree. Perhaps that's one of the reasons the book was such a quick read for me, the central relationship in the book between the four friends felt pretty natural to me.

Or I could just be talking out of my butt. :)

I finally finished Grunts by Mary Gentle. Hil-fricken-larious. I highly recommend it. I've been teetering on the edge of the book for a couple weeks, unable to finish it because of everything else that has been going on in my life.

One of these days, I'm going to sit down and start working my way through the list of Hugo and Nebula Award Winners. I've already read a number of them (Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dune, The Forever War, Ender's Game, and Speaker for the Dead). They are some of my absolute favorite books.

Wow.

I went through over half that book last night (about 200+ pages). I couldn't put it down. Definately one of the best books I've read in a while.

I'd absolutely love to run a game in that world, probably some variation of d20 CoC. Lots of fun to be had there. :) Any of my local gamer buddies up for it?

I finished Ensign Flandry last night, the first book in the three book hardback, The Imperial Stars, from the Science Fiction Book Club.

It was a pretty short book by today's standards, only 183 pages, but I definately enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the other two books contained in the hardback. I think I'll put it on the backburner though, start doing my old rotation again, and try not to read straight through a series. I think I may get back into The Two Towers or finish up Chapterhouse: Dune, if not going back into David Gemmel's Drenai series.

I just thought I'd mention that I finshed Equal Rites a couple nights ago.

Now I'm reading Ensign Flandry by Poul Anderson. Figured it was time to take a step back from all the fantasy I'd been reading lately.

Well, I finshed the second book in the Discworld series last night. Had a couple really good laughs, enough to disturb Jenn at least. I'm really looking forward to reading more of the series, though I'll need to hunt down the actual books first. :)

Baen Books has recently published David Weber's new book, War of Honor. Within that hardback, they are including the text of all of the books from the Honor Harrington series, plus a number of added items (cover art galleries sans titles and text, audio selections from the novels and from Echo's Children with complete lyrics), AND twenty-five other novels from other Baen authors on a CD-ROM. All the novels are in multiple, unencrypted formats including RTF, HTML, and formats for book readers and Palms.

I've used Baen's Free Library before. Heck, that's how I got into David Weber in the first place. I've read Oath of Swords and gotten most of the way through The War God's Own on my Palm. I am always looking for those books when I'm in a bookstore, though I usually am unable to find them.

I think I will go out this afternoon/evening and pick up this book just on principle.

Update: Okay, now I have bought it. And, from what I understand, the CD can be copied as long as it is not sold. Cool. :)

Jenn and I went to the mall today for a number of reasons, one of which was for me to renew my Waldenbooks Preferred Reader Account. It's only $10/year, and I get double points for whatever I buy when I renew, so I tend to go a little book crazy. It didn't help that they were having their 'Buy 4 SciFi/Fantasy books, get the 5th free' sale again. :)

I picked up a couple books by R.A. Salvatore (The Demon Awakens and The Thousand Orcs), The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert (one of my favorite authors now), Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein, and Dragon Wing by Weis & Hickman. Jenn also snagged some King novels and a bridal magazine.

I gots me a couple $5 certificates heading my way now. :-D

I finished In The Realm of the Wolf finally last night. It's taken me long enough thanks to everything else that's been going on lately.

I found myself thinking of The Riddle of Steel many times in the last few climactic chapters of the book. All that talk of parries, counters, and ripostes really makes me want to give that game a try.

Well, last night I plopped down and read through the last 175-ish pages of Enchanter's End Game.

I always enjoy the feeling you get at the end of a series of books. The meaning of series can vary quite a bit though. In this particular case, I am talking about the type of series that is practically one long novel released in serial form. Each book in the series continues the overall storyline and ends at an stopping point/cliffhanger, leaving you with a desire to continue along to the next installment.

The Drenai series, the one I'm reading again now, is another type. In this type of series, the term series is used a little more loosely. Here, the books all take place in the same world that the author has concocted, but the characters and the storyline barely continue from book to book. Characters in one book will possibly make an appearance in the next, or maybe just a reference. The outcome of the previous book will usually affect the situation in the beginning of the next, but that's the extent of its influence.

I enjoy both types of series, and they definately have their strengths and weaknesses. Either way, though, only the former can really give me that wonderful feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment I get from reading that last line and closing the last book.

I finally finished Waylander last night. I am definately beginning to become a big fan of David Gemmell and his Drenai series.

For those who do read that series, here is a good map, that apparently has David's blessing.. I'll have to keep it handy when I start the next book in the series.