Masters of the Universe
All my life there has been no phrase that can bring more nostalgia, more primal feelings of hope, and a great spark of recognition: By the ...
Review: Codex Alera
Codex Alera was one of the best series of books I have ever read. There I said it. Most reviews try to stay away from ...
Under the Dome
Stephen King's new novel at first glance reminded me of the Simpsons movie, but that is where the similarity ended. Even though there are a ...
May 12
20
Game of Thrones Parody
As with most shows, there are lots of fan remakes and fan parodies. It can be a piss-take or a re-make. Either or, I think it is a compliment to the shows they make fun of.
Perhaps not new to most of you, here is a HBO Game of Thrones parody. I definitely chortled quite a bit while watching these.
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Many of us do not have a lots of money to spend on luxury items. We have families, mortgages, are studying or saving up for a holiday or some sort. So it is important to shop around and take your time when deciding on buying things like electronics.
VS
Many readers of this blog (and forums) love reading, whether it be in the format of ink and paper or e-ink and back lightning. Products like the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire have been a revolution when it comes to reading. They are portable, makes reading
cheaper and the ability to get books instantly (with Wi-fi connection) are a readers dream.
Now going back to the beginning, not every reader has lots of money to spend. We as consumers are always looking to get the most out of our dollar. So would an e-reader
that is the size of a kindle fire but has the ability to surf the web flawlessly, watch
Videos such as youtube, access email, sync emails with calender, multi-task faster and better appeal to you?
Samsung latest 7 inch tablet does all of the above. A lot of us are not tech geeks so I won’t bore you with too much of the technical details but provide you and why would you vs a why you won’t get this tablet.
All comparisons made are vs the Kindle Fire which retails at $199
Why you want this tablet
- Runs the latest Android Operating System. Android 4.0 vs Android 2.3. This means it gets updated more and runs more smoothly and have more variety of apps
- Has more RAM (1Ghz vs 0.5Ghz). Helps to run more games and multi-task more efficiently
- Has expandable storage via external SD Card (can be purchased anywhere Amazon, Frys, Bestbuy etc). This is great because if you want you can use it to listen to more music and videos
- Thinner 0.41 vs 0.45 and weighs less, 12 ounces vs 14.6 ounces (Doesn’t seem like much but lighter is better for prolonged periods
- Has 3.0megapixel back camera and VGA front camera. Fire doesn’t have a camera
- Full USB (host) vs microUSB
Why you don’t want this tablet
- It costs $50 more
- It does more so there is a slight learning curve
- Thicker usually means sturdier but I haven’t tried to drop either
Seriously, if you can afford to pay the extra $50 I would. Obviously products that get released later the technology will be better (re: this article) but as a consumer you have to know this first of all. If you find reading on coloured screens a bother then I would get a reader with e-ink display, but those readers can’t do anything near what the Kindle Fire or Samsung Tab 2 can do.
Would love some feedback if you have the time.
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May 12
5
Top 10 Best Fantasy Audiobooks
This list was a challenging one to create because the best fantasy audio books combine the quality of the story WITH the quality of the narrator. If the book is great but the narrator sounds like a toad, the whole audio experience isn’t quite the same. So keep in mind that the quality of the narrator is JUST as important as the quality of the story when taking this list into account!
One question I always get asked is where to find (legal) audiobooks for a good price. One of the major complaints people have with audiobooks is that they are simply “too expensive” with most costing straight out between $20 – $30 dollars. One affordable way around this is to join audible.com (you can sign up for free and get 2 free audiobook downloads). You basically pay either around $14 bucks a month for any audiobook download of your choice or you can pay $28 bucks for the premium 2 audiobook downloads per month. A much better deal and this is what I do myself.
1. Game of Thrones (George Martin)
An amazing book, the start of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and a fantastic narrator that brings the story to life. And who to narrate the fantasy version of The War of the Roses other than a Brit!
Roy Dotrice the narrator does a resounding job bringing this series to brutal life. I have in fact listened to this entire series on audiobook which has done much to bring new life to the series. A fantastic fantasy tale with a superlative narrator make this my top pick. You can find the entire Song of Ice and Fire bundled audiobook series here. Apparently, there were two other narrators who narrated a few of the books (John Lee and Roy Avers?), but seems the publisher ended getting Dotrice to re-narrate them to provide continuity to the audiobook versions).
Listen to a SAMPLE of Roy Dotrice’s voice here
2. The Way of Kings (Brandon Sanderson)
A rich fantasy tale with the perfect narrator voice. The narrator’s deep, booming voice really adds a fourth dimension to the tale. Hands down, my favorite fantasy audiobook narrator, bar none. Nice use of both male and female narrators for the gender roles. The audio book gets bonus points for that (face it, no matter how good a male narrator is, it’s just not the same when they are narrating a female lead).
While the book starts off slow and take hundreds of pages to build up to the action, be prepared for a roller coaster ride as you approach the end. The Way of Kings is really what epic fantasy should be and there is NO better author to bring the character of Kaladin to life — that deep booming voice IS Kaladin (the lead character) himself. Michael Kramer is probably who I consider the best narrator for those fantasy books with strong, masculine protagonists — that oh-so-deep raspy voice just fits the role.
Listen to a Sample of Michael Kramer’s voice here
Michael Kramer narrates The Mistborn Series and The Wheel of Time series.
3. Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott B. Lynch)
Part comedic Robin Hood, part revenge tragedy, and part high adventure fantasy tale. This book is intelligent, clever, funny, and dramatically dark. The narrator Michael Page is perfectly suited for this novel. I would rank Michael Page as my second favorite narrator after Michael Kramer. His clever voicing of different characters just works and he’s got that rich British accent. The key quality I like about Michael Page is his world-class dry, sarcastic tone used in narration. This really brings to life books where there is subtle dry humor throughout the novel.
Listen to a Sample of Michael Page’s voice here
Michael Page also narrates Joe Abercrombie’s books.
4. The Dark Tower Series (Stephen King)
In pure audiobook terms, amazing voice work. The tale comes alive in a whole new way when narrated by the deep and powerful voiced George Guidall.
Note that there have been two audiobook narrators for the series: Frank Muller and George Guidall. Frank Muller was the original narrator of 1998 audio tape versions of the first 4 Dark Tower books. However, the publisher did a renarration of the first four books with a new narrator, George Guidall who narrates the last 3 books in the series. The reason from what I understand is that Frank Muller caught cancer and was unable to continue with the series as narrator since there were so many years between the first couple of Dark Tower books and the later sequels.
Rest assured that Guidall does a fantastic job of carrying out Muller’s style and tone. If you get ahold of the newer audiobook versions of the first couple books, there won’t be any discrepancy between narrators — you’ll only notice the change if you end up listening to the old audio tape versions (or some online rip of them).
Overall, Guidall’s recounting of (part of) the Dark Tower series is perfectly suited for the dark and chilling story that is The Dark Tower. If you haven’t read The Dark Tower, GOOD. Don’t read it, LISTEN TO IT! It’s better than reading it, seriously.
Listen to George Guidall’s voice here
George Guidall also narrates Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.
5. The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
The most disputed series out there in terms of “good or not”: many will argue the WOT has lost it’s mojo and just as many others will dispute this, especially with Brandon Sanderson finishing off the last 3 books in the series after Jordan died. Regardless of what you think of the printed version, the audiobook versions are very well done and the story comes to life. Even better, the books are narrated by Michael Kramer who I consider to have the best narrator voice in the fantasy genre.The female roles are narrated by Kate Reading which adds another dimension to the books.
Listen to Michael Kramer’s voice here
6. Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix)
Fantastic fantasy tale and even better narration. Curl up by the fireplace, put a pillow on your rocking chair, and listen to this dark fantasy tale. The books are perfectly narrated by Tim Curry, who’s made quite a name for himself in the horror genre, narrating some of Steven King’s books. So for dark fantasy or horror fantasy, I’d say Tim Curry is one of the best fantasy narrators.
Listen to Tim Curry’s voice here
Tim Curry has narrated: The Dune House Trilogy and a number of books set in the horror genre. Basically, the perfect narrator for a dark and creepy tale.
7.The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)
A stellar book. The second book has mixed reviews (some people love it, while some thing the author spends the entire book talking about…nothing), but overall it’s a worthy tale and wonderfully written. You lose yourself in the world of Kvothe — and a fascinating world it is indeed. The world is brought to life by Nick Podehl, who’s perfect pitch draws the listener in.
Listen to Nick Podehl’s voice here
Nick Podehl also narrates the very excellent YA series, The Skinjacker Trilogy
8. The Warded Man (Peter V. Brett)
Action, Adventure, and Horror combined into an epic fantasy setting where night is ruled by the dark. If you want a book that will keep you glued to your seat, this is a one such book. The narrator Pete Bradbury is the perfect fit for this story — his deep voice will lull you into the tale and keep you listening till the end.
Listen to Peter Bradbury’s voice here
Pete Bradbury also narrated Daniel Abraham’s excellent The Dragon’s Path
9. The Magicians (Lev Grossman)
This was one of the most clever and entertaining fantasy book’s I’ve had the privilege of reading. Take a spoiled, rich-kid versions of Harry Potter and co. on downers then send them off to try and rule an ostensibly harmless fairy kingdom that turns out to be as dangerous as it is charming. It’s some entertaining fantasy that’s as serious and deep as it is sarcastic and funny. This is not epic fantasy with Dragon Ball Z like powerups, but rather something more sophisticated that explores some deep questions. It’s not fantasy for everyone, but those who “get it” really “get it.” Some of the best fantasy I’ve ever read — I mean “heard.” The sequel, Magician King, is even better.
The narration by Mark Bramhall is spot on and makes an already entertaining book even more so. Don’t read this book. Listen to it.
Listen to Mark Bramhall’s voice here
10. The Heroes (Joe Abercrombie)
Basically can be summed up as “war sucks really bad.” Read this book and you’ll banish any thoughts about the romance of battle. The Heroes is Joe Abercrombie’s BEST work to date. It’s loosely set in the same world as the First Law (The Blade Itself and sequels) so if you want to be a real stickler to following the chronology of things, you’ll probably want to read The First Law trilogy first as some of the characters do make cameo appearances, but you don’t necessary have to. I also suggest if you want a more traditional fantasy tale, then start with The First Law trilogy. Keep in mind that Joe likes to play tricks on “traditional,” however.
The book is narrated by the awesome Michael Page who also did a standup narration job on Lies of Locke Lamora is PERFECTLY brings his dry sarcastic tone to this book.
Listen to Michael Page’s voice here
A Few Other Recommendations
The Black Company (Glen Cook)
Superb narration by Marc Vietor of an already superb series leads to one of the best fantasy audiobook experiences out there. The voice of Croaker truly comes to life with the narrator, who even has the same raspy sort of voice you’d imagine “Croaker” would have. Note, you’ll have to get these from Audible as you can’t buy the normal Audio CD’s.
Mark Vietor also narrates the totally awesome Hyperion series, which would certainly rank near the top on any Top 10 Best Science Fiction Audiobooks list I make.
Listen to Mark Vieto’s voice here
Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)
These days, this series is right up there with Martin as the best fantasy series. In fact, many people feel that Martin dropped the ball with his last 2 books (Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons) and the series is no longer the best (I don’t necessary agree with this). However, the Malazan books on a whole are pretty steller reads, from the first book to the last book (the last book is controversial with some liking the ending and others not so much).
I have mostly read this series, but I have listen to one of them in Audiobook form and was not disappointed. If you are looking for a complex, dark and sweeping epic with loads of battle scenes, complicated magic, and so many characters that you’ll have problems keeping them all in your head as the series progresses, this is YOUR series.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
One of my favorite fantasy books done just right with the narration. The rich British narrator brings this Dark Fantasy Version of a Jane Austen novel to life.
The book is narrated by Simon Prebble who also has narrated many classics by Charles Dickens, HG Wells, and Jules Verne among others.
Ghormenghast (Mervyn Peake)
All that’s good about this novel is captured by the narrator. People often complain about how “hard” it is to get into the almost poetic descriptive language of this series. The solution is the audiobook which brings to life all the richness of the language used to write it — and it’s understandable! Listen to it.
Robert Whitfield narrates Ghormanghast. He’s also narrates Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Basically, the perfect voice for Gormenghast.
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
One of my favorite Audiobooks. Narrator and story are superb.
In a genre permeated by huge epics and stories that span thousands of pages, Brandon Sanderson has a track record of delivering huge action in a refreshingly smaller format. He has a style all his own. This stand-alone novel delivers all of his trademarks: a well-developed, near-scientific magic system, a varied cast of characters from all social strata, compelling plotting, and a big finish that includes multiple and unforeseeable twists. His prose is clear, his characterizations authentic. His pacing is always compelling, sometimes breathless, and “boring” is not a word that can applied to anything he writes.
Your reaction to Warbreaker will probably depend on whether or not you have read Sanderson’s other notable stand-alone, Elantris. Readers exposed to both of the books will notice some striking similarities: gods who are actually humans (or maybe the other way around), a very scientific magic system, a compelling plot that accelerates until everybody’s schemes fall completely apart, the sudden appearance of an incredibly simple and previously unconsidered solution to a variety of problems that are in fact all the same problem, and a finale that includes at least seven things that you never saw coming.
If you are already a fan of Sanderson’s work, you will be happy that there is something comparable to Elantris out there. Warbreaker is, if not quite as brilliant in its themes, a solid book that will knock the wind out of you. If you haven’t been exposed to Sanderson before, then you should probably make sure that you have a lot of free time before starting. You may not be able to put it down for a while.
May 12
3
Review: The Painted Man
The school holidays is when I get a good chance to read books and be captivated in the author’s world. I’m a sucker for a good series and there have been many positive praises for The Painted Man
Arlen is a 10 year old boy who lives in a small village is the northern region of Thesa. He idolizes his father; he is strong, wise and speaks of good family values. Just after a sunset, Arlen’s mother is racing back to the house being hounded by Corelings. Arlen and his father stand within the safe boundaries of the wards. Arlen looks to his father, who is petrified with fear. A boy’s eyes are beginning to open to see that his father is not a strong man or a man of conviction and that is something no boy should ever have to realize.
Leesha lives in another small village but to the east. She is a simple girl but born to the richest but humblest man in the village, whose wife is the prettiest but lives a life of adultery. Leesha’s mother dislikes Leesha for the fact that she wasn’t born a man and is forever hounding her to get married and produce a grandson. After a Coreling attack on her village Leesha impresses Bruna the village Herbalist. She recruits Leesha and absolves her from any courtships that may happen for 7 years and a day much to Leesha’s mother’s contempt.
Rojer is a jongleur’s apprentice. He is small for his age and is missing a couple of fingers. Was it not for Arrick his master, he would have lost a lot more when Rojer was only an infant. Years later Rojer is sick of living day to day, wiping the vomit off his master’s motley yet cannot compel himself to leave the man who saved his life.
All three characters have a decent role to play in the book and as all books that have multiple main characters, their stories do converge.
There is a lot to like about this book. It has characters that all have a bit of mystery to them. You don’t fully know their role in the book until the book begins to wrap up. It is written well and has a decent pace. I read it in 3 days as it was so good. The Desert Spear is the sequel to the book which I have read an enjoyed and am holding out for The Daylight War which is scheduled for 2013.
Get this book if you like
Multiple main characters
A bit of mystery surrounding the roles characters play in the book
A unique magic system
Fast paced book with not many stoppages
Don’t read this if you don’t like…
Waiting for sequels
(SPOILER ALERT)
Rape scenes, I just can’t handle it
What seems to be an all too powerful character near the end
Every main girl is just so damn beautiful
(END SPOILER)
A Curse of Chalion has many of the hallmarks of an epic fantasy series, a medieval setting, a magical curse, royal intrigue and the tantalising possibility of a quest. Despite all this it is surprisingly narrow in scope, provincial even, as suggested by the title’s indefinite article; it’s not ‘the’ curse of Chalion, just ‘a’ curse. No big deal. It has no pretensions beyond the portrayal a succession conflict in one of the continents principle powers, Chalion. Alright, so it has some pretensions, but they’re entirely theological in nature. There probably has never been a fantasy novel so obsessed with its own theology, and so willing to explore its ramifications. Parallels between Chalion and our own world abound both in terms of its theology, though it’s pentatheistic rather than monotheistic, and history; the world of A Curse of Chalionis a clear analog of medieval Spain. Its treatment of theology is similar to hard science fictions use of technology. So what have we here; Hard Fantasy? Not that there isn’t adventure and excitement, buckles are swashed throughout the novel; but these things are put in their place by a combination of Bujold’s realism and Cazaril’s cynicism.
The novel’s characters are one of the book’s best features, pretty much the whole cast is great. Cazaril is the protagonist and point of view character. A former soldier at the novel’s beginnings, he’s clearly been through something horrific and is making his way to find work at a castle where he was a page, years ago. Cazaril is solid and clever as well as courageous, humble and unambitious; he also makes for a very snarky saint and an honestly cynical soldier. Royesse Iselle, Royesse is a title equivalent to princess, and her lady in waiting Bertiz are a delightful pair and make for an excellent foil for the stoic Cazaril. The strange odd couple relationship of the thrown together Iselle and Cazaril is entertaining, but the relationship at the heart of the novel is the hesitant; it is heart-warming and grounds a lot of the book’s more fantastical elements in some sense of reality and consequence. Teidez is insufferable but the dy Jironal brothers, one of whom is, and you might want to avert your eyes from this spoiler, the Chancellor, make for strong villains. All of the main characters, or at least the good guys, speak in an anachronistic style, it’s not period or even close, but neither is it contemporary. Impressively Bujold manages this conceit without being the least bit grating. In fact all of the characters, or at least the good guys, are improbably witty; the dialogue is just exceptionally well written. Every exchange goes down perfectly smooth. More broadly Bujold’s ability to write an incredibly diverse array of characters in sympathetic and realistic terms is amazing; even the most minor characters, some with almost no lines at all like Foix, seem real.
The novel’s biggest problem is its genealogy and system of titles are a bit confusing; they’re referenced constantly but only in the most oblique fashion; it’s never spelt out clearly despite being absolutely central to the plot, which is about the succession to a throne. Diverse clues must be painstakingly put together before you can have a proper clue as to who is who.
The novel’s plot is, as I said, quite tightly focused. Unfortunately little time is given over to exploring the world at large. Only by indirect reference and through Cazaril’s reminiscences do we get any sort of image of the world at large. Bujold is similarly parsimonious when it comes to her plot; hardly a single extraneous events occurs nor an irrelevant detail included. Almost every element of the characters’ histories we learn has some influence on the story. This style of storytelling is refreshing in a genre with an unalloyed love of excessive detail.
In the end though, the reason I’ll likely be reading the sequels Bujold has written, beside the awards and critical praise which have been heaped on them, is neither the compelling characters nor the intriguing, Spain-like world of Chalion; it’s the fascinating theology. Chalion’s primary religion focuses on the worship of a family of five deities. The Father of Winter, the Mother of Summer, the Daughter (Sometimes just Lady) of Spring and the Son of Autumn. To each is granted jurisdiction of various elements of life in Chalion, and also Ibra and some other neighbouring countries. Fifthly there is the Bastard, god of untimely death (The Father being the God of timely death, of course) and other undesirable things that the other gods didn’t want to have to deal. The Son and Daughter are, I assume, are at least held by the church’s dogma to be children of the Father and Mother and given that no other supernatural characters are mentioned (except some minor demons) this raises the interesting, though unexplored, issue of the Bastard’s parentage. These gods, we learn, despite being sufficiently omnipotent to raise vaguely Calvinist concerns about determinism, can only act in the world through a human. Enter Cazaril, Chalion’s newest unwilling saint and tool of the god’s. Much is also made of the narrow barrier between this world and the spiritual one, and the plausible consequences of that. The result of this is the books most beautiful, florid moment, when we are treated to a brief glimpse of the spiritual world.
A Curse of Chalion is a great book, but it does require patience. The plot is somewhat slow to start and it doesn’t really pick up the pace until around a third of the way through. Though it doesn’t let it drop again after that until the denouement. The flowering romance between Cazaril and Bertiz seems at first like it might end up dominating the narrative in the most insufferable way with the book ending up like some tacky bodice ripper; neither ends up happening. With these minor qualifications in mind A Curse of Chalion should e ‘To Be Read’be high on the ‘To Be Read’ list of any fan of high-minded Fantasy.
Apr 12
27
Review: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Fat Charlie (who isn’t fat) had pretty much the perfect life. A job that he liked, a woman that he loved (let’s forget about the future mother in-law) and life in London far away from his family. However, when his estranged father dies he is compelled to go to his funeral back in Florida. Fat Charlie learns a lot about the father he never knew and about the brother he didn’t know he had. When Fat Charlie accidently calls for his brother, his world is turned upside down.
Anansi Boys
If you want to read a story that is set in an urban world, a bit different and written well. This is a good book of his to start with. Not his best but definitely worth a read.