Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Books => Topic started by: Bookstore Guy on August 03, 2009, 08:19:27 PM
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This is in no way meant as competition to the people who review books around here, but my good friend (Nick) and I are now doing a book review blog. as most of you know, I have VERY distinct tastes in novels, and we have fun with the attitude I'm sure most of you think I have! lol!
Lou Anders, the editor of the awesome Pyr SF&F, has already given us a big thumbs-up, and now Brandon gave us some love in his latest blog post. Head on over and check it out. It's still new, so we only have a few reviews up. We are updating daily. These are designed to be spoiler-free reviews, tailored with info that might help you decide if you should give the book a try or not.
http://elitistbookreviews.blogspot.com/
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I was hoping that you would bash something, but I was sorely disappointed. Perhaps you will review Twilight for us?
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I would LOVE to see a Twilight review by you guys. It would make me happy...Actually. It would make me MORE than happy...But my happiness aside, I shall for sure be checking the site for more books to read....
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I will definatly check it out!!! When you were down here at Walden you and Robin gave me so many good suggestions. I'm sure I'll check out most of the books you suggest, if nothing else 'cause I trust your taste.
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A review of Twilight hmm? Was that a gauntlet that just flew past my face (I have awesome reflexes, or it would have hit me).
Just so you know, we are gonna start with mostly books we like, and think certain people should like. When we find the right voice for our "ick" reviews, there will be more - for now though, we want happy authors. Though i'm not sure we can include Meyer in the "author" category :P
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Touché.
That's cool. I'd rather read about books I should be reading than how awful the latest installment in a dime novel series is.
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make no mistake, Twilight is coming. Just be patient. we keep vomiting while just thinking of the "novel."
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Is it the disgusting vomit that you have to swallow in the name of civility or are you flushing your system of the poison of teenie boppers?
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Well, Steve, I trust your tastes in books. I'm going to look here first for any books I should be reading--I really need to read more.
I went to my local Border's today to buy a copy of The Blade Itself. They didn't have one now, but they will by the end of the week. I figure this is a good place to start! As my sig suggests, I'm all into dark fantasy ;)
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Ooh! You should maintain a list of all of the books you review on the site, categorized by need-to-be-readedness. A quick reference to show us all how superior your taste is, as it were.
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we are doing that, in part. the categories section on the side of the front page breaks down everything. tune in tomorrow, we have a very different novel recommendation. Nick and I have a good friend, Rob, who reads different stuff than us, and he recommended a great book to us. We decided to pull him in to our Evil League of Evil (lol) to review it.
and then on Wednesday we have a surprise for you all...
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your surprise came early.
http://elitistbookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/twilight-seriously.html
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Yayayayayay! That was great. Thank you both.
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Glad you enjoyed. Be sure to check out our constant stream of review for the books you SHOULD read. Our other book reviewed for the day, THE VONDISH AMBASSADOR, was a surprise to us. Different, and very cool.
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Yes, it contained the word "annals", which I always wackyparse as, well... you know.
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When I read this:
Perhaps you will review Twilight for us?
I could hardly help but remember coming across this:
http://speculativehorizons.blogspot.com/2009/07/if-only.html
I laughed SO hard.
Also swung by the review site. Looks like a decent start to things and ,besides the LWE book, pretty spot on to my thinking. Good luck with it all guys.
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My parents checked on me twice wanting to know what i was laughing at...great twilight review...and i read the warbreaker one also and overall i agreed with it...but i don't really remember having the impression of everyone trying to be quick witted
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"Bella, the heroine, can only be enjoyed while on heroin...barely."
This feels like a bit of chiasmus or something.
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I thought it was clever of us :P
There is a new review up, and the Blog has been redesigned to make it more awesome. Ignore the email subscription for now - its broken.
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The new format looks amazing-tastic. Much more professional. Love it. Am planning on stopping by regularly for more reviews. Keep em coming, guys.
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That was all Nick's doing. He is better at html than I am. I just look at it and say, "looks good! yay for us!"
We are loving your support, guys. Tell your friends. We love recommending books (and trashing them in some cases). The more people looking at out blog, the more advance copies of novels we'll be able to request from publishers. After all, the only thing better than a book review is a review done in advance so you know to get your own copy on release day.
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do you have any recommendation list on amazon?
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hmm, no. might not be a bad idea though. we dont want people to blindly buy our recommendations though - after all, our taste isn't for everyone. for example, I would hate to put R Scott Bakker on the list and have people blindly buy his books. i can think of many people who would be offended by his stuff even though we love it. know what i mean?
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you can put notes under every recommendation
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...or have separate lists.
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So, do you take requests?
I thought it would be worthwhile for you to review the Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham. They're all relatively short books, and I can't think of another series that I'd like to see get more recognition. The last book just came out recently to finish the series, and I absolutely loved it. Each book in the series got better, which to me is a very impressive feat to accomplish. There was no "middle book".
The main reason that I suggest this series for review is that despite the fact that I think the books are so great (I am, after all, just a peon) TOR decided to pass on his next series. He ended up getting picked up by Orbit (still not shabby), but I just thought it a travesty that TOR turned him down. This series rates at the top of my list of favorites, if not in first position.
Anyhow, thought I'd pitch it and see what you thought.
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That series is actually on our list of novels to read. It was either Daniel Abraham or Brian Ruckley's Winterbirth. Sad to say we chose Winterbirth. It was terribad (review coming shortly).
I'm interested to know whether Tor decided not to pick him up, or they just didn't offer him the money he felt he deserved.
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Daniel Abraham's books must not have sold very well. The most recent one has only 3 reviews on Amazon, and last year's book has only 13. That is a sure-fire sign that no one is reading the books. (Even if the people who did read them loved them.)
Of course, that also means that he may just need a publisher committed to pushing his books. Publishing is a huge crapshoot.
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Daniel Abraham's books must not have sold very well.
They didn't. That was what he said in the announcement for this next series. I really don't understand how, with such good reviews, people didn't buy this guy's books. I hope that readers will rectify this for his next series. He deserves our attention.
I also tried to read Winterbirth about a year ago. I got through about 20 pages and said, screw it. This is horrible. Glad to know I wasn't too far off. :D
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Now i must ask, with the name of the blog, being what it is, who is the target? Are you mocking yourselves, Senator Clinton, or the biggot who yells at children who play on his lawn?
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Now i must ask, with the name of the blog, being what it is, who is the target? Are you mocking yourselves, Senator Clinton, or the biggot who yells at children who play on his lawn?
yes. :P
Daniel Abraham's books must not have sold very well.
They didn't. That was what he said in the announcement for this next series. I really don't understand how, with such good reviews, people didn't buy this guy's books. I hope that readers will rectify this for his next series. He deserves our attention.
I remember when Abraham's first book came out. It was like it was snuck onto our shelves at the book store. I think the issue was that there was no marketing done to push his book - and let's face it, Tor cant push everyone. It also didn't help that he was releasing a 4-book series. It seems like the thing to do now is release all your books in your first series in a short time-span. It gets your name out there, and you fill your slot on the shelves faster. Abraham didn't have that advantage.
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Now i must ask, with the name of the blog, being what it is, who is the target? Are you mocking yourselves, Senator Clinton, or the biggot who yells at children who play on his lawn?
The name originated from a conversation I was having with a journalist who is obsessed with Stephen King's The Stand. I took the position of trashing the book, and the other guy called me a Pretentious Literary Elitist. Steve and I thought it was hilarious and both of us knew it was true, so we figured why not admit to our awesomeness and tell everyone just how awesome we really are. As much fun as it is to make fun of Sen. Clinton and that bigot, we are really just mocking ourselves.
By the way, to echo Steve, thanks to everyone for the support and compliments for the website.
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Ah, Slamel! Or should I say Lord Aellinsar, Betrayer of Hope? I thought you died at the end of ACoS....
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Oh please. Sammael has nothing on me!
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Come now, if you've learned anything about me, it's that I have an ability to be completely bored and unimpressed with all things WoT after book 3. Would I really co-run a book review site with someone who would use a handle named after one of the pathetic villians of the novel? Dont be silly. "Slamel" stands for something completely un-book-related.
On that note, WoT is godlike to us when compared to Goodkind (says something right?). Anyone want to buy us a copy of Goodkinds newest that comes out next week so we can review it like we did Twilight? We'll send the book back. In one piece even.
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While I would love to see you guys take Goodkind apart, I'm morally opposed to giving him my money*. :P
*Any more of my money. In the interests of honesty, I have paperbacks of most of the SOT series. One of these days I may even bother to go out to a library and read the last one.
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Oh please. Sammael has nothing on me!
I can still call you Lord Slamel though, right? Of course, the only worthwhile villain in WoT is Fain. None of the others scare me in the slightest.Come now, if you've learned anything about me, it's that I have an ability to be completely bored and unimpressed with all things WoT after book 3. Would I really co-run a book review site with someone who would use a handle named after one of the pathetic villians of the novel? Dont be silly. "Slamel" stands for something completely un-book-related.
Is a "villian" a resident of a village? Because that's what they should be.
Goodkind doesn't deserve a mention. Dang it. I just mentioned him again. Can that be a the forum rule? "We don't talk about Goodkind."
I really wish you had said un-book related. Goodkind is un-book related.
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Lord Slamel? I suppose. I am pretty villianous. Just ask Dan about my character traits if I were to be made an RPG character.
Can that be a the forum rule? "We don't talk about Goodkind."
If Bakker had a monkey he would name one of them Terry and try not to look at it. Sounds like a good forum rule to me.
I personally think the scariest villian in WoT was Perrin's beard. But that incredibly engaging rivalry was concluded early on, leaving us with only Nynaeve and her braid. A tragic waste of conflict in my opinion. However, at least we got a dozen pages or so of the battle between Perrin and his facial hair. The very epitome of Epic Fantasy. I heard a rumor that one of the side story novels Jordan was planning to write was about the travels of Perrin's beard after it's disgraceful defeat. I, for one, vote yes on that.
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One of these days I may even bother to go out to a library and read the last [Goodkind Book].
Don't. Seriously. It was such a waste of time.
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It is with a heavy heart, Steve, that I return from your review site after reading the post for Devices and Desires.
You didn't like it? :o Noooooooooooooo!
The Engineer trilogy by KJ Parker is, perhaps, one of my absolute favorite series. Now, granted, I understand that this might have something to do with the fact that...confession time...I'm an engineer. :D
I have to say that I do agree with you about the fallacy of the crux of the book: engineers are masters of manipulating machinery and manipulating people as you would a machine should be just as easy. And yet, even though that statement is false, I think to a certain degree there's a measure of pomposity in the minds of most engineers that makes them think it could be true. So, the fact that the main character thinks this way isn't necessarily way out there, it's just that everything works out for him so well that makes the story unbelievable. But if you can get over that "little" hump? Man. There's some really good character building and storyline to be had in this book and the other two in the trilogy. I mean, seriously, you can't say you didn't nearly fall out of your seat when the random POV soldier came along with his army to burn the grain silo. Or the scene where they make the cannon? Intense. (Both scenes in Escapement, I think) Anyhow, It's that kind of stuff that I live for in books.
Ah well. At least you gave em a try. I still need to give Malazan another go sometime...
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Don't. Seriously. It was such a waste of time.
Haha. Duly noted.
Actually, I've heard it's a fun read as long as one doesn't expect it to be, you know, a good book. Heard that from a few people now. ::)
Still enjoying your reviews, guys. :)
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It is with a heavy heart, Steve, that I return from your review site after reading the post for Devices and Desires.
You didn't like it? :o Noooooooooooooo!
The Engineer trilogy by KJ Parker is, perhaps, one of my absolute favorite series. Now, granted, I understand that this might have something to do with the fact that...confession time...I'm an engineer. :D
I have to say that I do agree with you about the fallacy of the crux of the book: engineers are masters of manipulating machinery and manipulating people as you would a machine should be just as easy. And yet, even though that statement is false, I think to a certain degree there's a measure of pomposity in the minds of most engineers that makes them think it could be true. So, the fact that the main character thinks this way isn't necessarily way out there, it's just that everything works out for him so well that makes the story unbelievable. But if you can get over that "little" hump? Man. There's some really good character building and storyline to be had in this book and the other two in the trilogy. I mean, seriously, you can't say you didn't nearly fall out of your seat when the random POV soldier came along with his army to burn the grain silo. Or the scene where they make the cannon? Intense. (Both scenes in Escapement, I think) Anyhow, It's that kind of stuff that I live for in books.
Ah well. At least you gave em a try. I still need to give Malazan another go sometime...
It's not that we didn't like it. There were some cool sections. But the overall feeling was, "meh." it was certainly better than many of the recent books we have read, but not good enough to say, "Hey I liked this!" We wanted to, but a big logic flaw like the "I'm an engineer, so I can manipulate ANYTHING!!!!" kinda ruins it for us. Though, considering you are an engineer, I am not surprised in the least that you liked it. You identify more with the character and his machinations than we did. It allowed you to forgive some of the icky points. I'd ask that you comment on the site for us stating your view on the engineering aspect of the character. It may help some potential readers make a decision. :)
We have great books for the next 2 days. I'm excited for people to read them and the reviews.
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Oh I didn't realize you posted this here too. I responded on the actual review to your comment..
Think of it this way. If you have any experience with playing RPGs you will know a rule of thumb for a GM is to put the characters in a position that their strengths are mitigated, or focus on their weaknesses. For example, if you have a character with wings, put them in a building, cave, etc. where that character can't fly. If you have a mage with 5 fire spells, make 6 monsters attack. It adds more conflict, and more interest and forces the player to think a bit more.
I feel like this could have been applicable somewhat. Vaatzes obviously is a master engineer, which is really, really cool, but he has no conflict. He just breezes through everything manipulating those around him, with hardly a thought or effort. BORING.
Basically, I appreciate your comment about the pomposity. A lot. I think the story could have been absolutely magnificent if Parker had focused on that, but then had Vaatzes discover that he was wrong and COULD NOT manipulate people the same way he does his machines. That would have been a much more interesting story.
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You know what I love? I love when authors email you telling you they appreciate a good review, and how they love the style of the reviews - it makes me feel all warm and squishy inside. And I love it even more when they quote you as one of their principle US reviews. James Barclay is awesome in this very fashion. After blogging and Twittering about us, he offered to do an interview with us. Do you see why we love British fantasy? They books are great, and the authors may be some of the nicest people on the planet.
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Well. Its done. The Law of Nines review is posted. Enjoy. Now I feel the need to go shower and scrub with ajax and bleach after subjecting myself to Goodkind once more.
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Don't worry, Slamel, I re-hired that therapist that got you through the depression from reading the other Goodkind novels.
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Why would someone rehire a retired therapist?
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Well. Its done. The Law of Nines review is posted. Enjoy. Now I feel the need to go shower and scrub with ajax and bleach after subjecting myself to Goodkind once more.
Honestly, I have no idea how you did it.
Read the review. Awesome. That's all I can say. Pure awesome.
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You know what I love? I love when authors email you telling you they appreciate a good review, and how they love the style of the reviews - it makes me feel all warm and squishy inside. And I love it even more when they quote you as one of their principle US reviews. James Barclay is awesome in this very fashion. After blogging and Twittering about us, he offered to do an interview with us. Do you see why we love British fantasy? They books are great, and the authors may be some of the nicest people on the planet.
That's awesome. Congrats!
...And I have to go read this Goodkind review now. I'm supposed to be writing, but hey, this is important. =D
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Well. Its done. The Law of Nines review is posted. Enjoy. Now I feel the need to go shower and scrub with ajax and bleach after subjecting myself to Goodkind once more.
. . . so we don't have to! Fun bashfest.
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It was fun! I tried to post as much on the site, but for some reason it won't let me. :/ I can get as far as the part where it demands word verification, but it won't let me scroll down past the word verification to find a submit button. Just hitting enter doesn't work either. :/ (Happened in both Firefox and Internet Exploder, if you're wondering...)
Anyway. Still enjoying the site :P
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I really like the concept of your review site. It is nice to get an idea for style and content before you spend money on a book. But I guess my only question is who your intended audience was in creating the site. I don't see it as being all that wide at this point, simply because a lot of your humor and criticisms seem less about the book's content and area of appeal, but more about your own preferences and reactions to the book. There is nothing wrong with that as everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am sure your friends and those of similar tastes enjoy having your list of recommendations, but I just don't know how useful it would be to someone like me who taste in books are a bit different. I appreciate you sharing the site though and wish you the best of luck. :)
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I ditto Frog RE the review site. As you expand the content and include more classics, and stuff Ireally like, I think the general appeal will grow exponentially.
For instance, it would have been nice to have read a more modern take on Asimov before reading Foundation, book 1, recently. I found it dry and, while probably innovative and mind-expanding in its day, the characters never had a chance to take hold and grow in its historical framework. There is a reason that historical textbooks are dull, with few exceptions. I, Robot, is probably a much better read, but why bother when there are hundreds of novels written since then that are so much better? It was interesting to note the origins of certain world-building elements that have been carried forward to almost all subsequent sci-fi, namely Battlestar Gallactica and even Star Wars. Asimov must be credited with imagining so much from which so much else was derived.
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Oh yes, the more books sent to us, the more we will read. We haven't even really touched SF yet, and I haven't even really gone into my mystery/thriller mode yet...or historical fiction/fantasy for that matter. Or humor. Though if things go our way, we will have some very cool SF lined up. We will have a SF 101, etc soon enough. As the site grows, so will our variety to a degree.
Also in the way of news, Wizards of the Coast seems to like us. We may get to do some author interviews with them that have us really geeked out. More info as it is confirmed.
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Pist on anyone who insults Asimov!!! The Foundation series is arguably the best Science Fiction series ever written. Thats the equivelent of saying Dune sucks, which anyone can tell you is horribly inaccurate (though Brian's books leave much to be desired, but know one cares about him anyways).
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I know a lot of people who don't like Dune. I get it. To me it is an acquired taste (like Jordan in a sense). I cant even stomach the thought of reading another Brian Herbert Dune novel. I'm sorry, but there are just some lengths I'm not willing to go to for the readers...reading the 6 prequels was bad enough. Those are some of the worst novels I have ever read. Ever.
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Well. Its done. The Law of Nines review is posted. Enjoy. Now I feel the need to go shower and scrub with ajax and bleach after subjecting myself to Goodkind once more.
Goodkind is the Little Caesar's Pizza of fantasy. Seriously, that's some nasty stuff. I buy it 'cause it's cheap (the pizza, not the books), but only when I'm in a self-hating mood.
*ahem*. BUT! I find that a lot of people actually like the stuff, and when I joke about how gross it is to people, half the time they defend it. I think Goodkind continues to get published because his books sell, whether we like them or not.
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I like Little Caesar's quite a bit. Much more than the Pizza Hut we had this evening.
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Don't "pist" on the mom, Kaz. It's not polite. Please forgive moi for denigrating one of sacred cows of SF. I also had a difficult time with Asimov's Godless world (I also hate the song "Imagine" because it really describes a mythical hell) and the characterization dryness put me out for the count. I liked Dune when I was a teen, but not enough for a reread. Ever.
Were you kidding, BSG, about literally sending you books? Or did you just mean suggestions? Thanks for getting to Carol B. eventually!
We have a drive-thru Papa Murphy's Pizza in my town. But you gotta bake it yourself. Extra cheap, pretty darn good, but requires a lot of work. . . . Who does this remind me of? RJ? Not cheap enough. Terry Pratchett? Not enough work involved. Terry Pratchett is more like cotton candy--fluffy and fun, but don't eat too much, right?
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Actually Brandon and I were discussing Goodkind, and his books were released during really really slow times during the calender year. There was no competition for his novels which is why they were "NYT Bestsellers." The actual amount of copies sold wasn't very high for a "Bestseller." In short, his bestseller title was fabricated.
As for books being sent to us, so far 2 publishers are sending us advance reader copies (ARCs) of their novels. Also a few random authors are sending us their stuff. We have emails out to a few other publishers to get ARCs from them as well. It is awesome.
And Caesar's pizza isn't that bad. I agree it is better than Greasy Hut.
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It was fun! I tried to post as much on the site, but for some reason it won't let me. :/ I can get as far as the part where it demands word verification, but it won't let me scroll down past the word verification to find a submit button. Just hitting enter doesn't work either. :/ (Happened in both Firefox and Internet Exploder, if you're wondering...)
Silk, I've had the same problem, but I found a solution. All you have to do is hit "tab" and it will bounce you down so that you can post your comment.
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yeah, we saw that and removed the word verification box. let me know if you still have probs.
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We have a drive-thru Papa Murphy's Pizza in my town. But you gotta bake it yourself. Extra cheap, pretty darn good, but requires a lot of work. . . . Who does this remind me of? RJ? Not cheap enough. Terry Pratchett? Not enough work involved. Terry Pratchett is more like cotton candy--fluffy and fun, but don't eat too much, right?
That didn't make sense, should've read: Who does this remind me of? RJ? Not expensive enough. (In case anyone really cares. Just wastin' time.)
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The review on Goodkind's latest was awesome. Referring to him as "Terribad..." I don't think I've laughed that hard in years.
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Both Terry's got slammed...be wary Steve they may team up to email you nasty letters!!!
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The only thing he has to worry about there is that the email will be so long-winded with useless philosophy that his computer will be unable to download the file within his lifetime.
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The only thing he has to worry about there is that the email will be so long-winded with useless philosophy that his computer will be unable to download the file within his lifetime.
this made me laugh.
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We have a contest going over at the EBR blog. Check it out.
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The only thing he has to worry about there is that the email will be so long-winded with useless philosophy that his computer will be unable to download the file within his lifetime.
funniest thing I've heard since... well in a very long time. I got a bunch of puzzled looks when I chuckled in the middle of class after I read this :D
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Steve can we add an f option for the competition...and does a princess catergorize as a monster?
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feel free to add, just not too excessively. We want to see what you can do with what we give you...especially the very last question.
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I am disappointed in you all. I am noting a lack of contest entries from people here. For shame.
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Tip: If you have a contest/job vacancy/competition of any kind where the number trying out is not known to the public, never let anyone know if there are only a few applicants. There are always "thousands of entrants" and picking the winners "was near impossible" and you are "overwhelmed by the public response." If you want to drum up more applicants, say that "by popular demand, the contest will be extended one more day, so hurry fast" because the position/contest/competition closes soon.
Besides, if I win, I want to feel like I earned it :)
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Oh we have lots entrants, but only a few I recognize from here. Lots of foreign entrants oddly enough. Slackers.
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You see! That was much better :)
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Yeah, I don't quite get it. If you were in Europe, would you try for the US edition of the book you already have? I just thought it was odd.
And some of you people are disturbed. Some of those answers...
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Yeah, I don't quite get it. If you were in Europe, would you try for the US edition of the book you already have? I just thought it was odd.
Oddly enough, that's exactly what I'm going to try and do. :D Barring the fact that I don't live in Europe.
I am disappointed in you all. I am noting a lack of contest entries from people here. For shame.
Sorry, I haven't made it to this point in my schedule yet. School's actually been keeping me pretty busy this week. My answers are coming, to be sure. Don't you worry. Deadline this Friday? No problems. I even have a great idea for my Extra Credit. Ooh!
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Deadline is the 20th. We have to account for those people that work and stuff.
You know, I was actually thinking more about it as I read an email from a dude in Spain. He mentioned that shipping from the UK is the same as from the US. So, a lot is making more sense now.
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An update:
We will be having an interview with Margaret Weis on Wednesday 9/30. She's gonna be online to respond to comments and stuff made after we post it.
We will be having an interview with R.A. Salvatore on Thursday 10/15. I hope the same thing will be happening with him.
Look, a lot of us--Nick and I included--owe our introductions into fantasy to Weis/Hickman and Salvatore. Make the most of the experience to think up of a few questions you may want to ask (assuming we don't ask them the same ones in the interview). Plus Margaret and Bob are pretty cool people. Maybe there will be an incentive to the people that ask the awesomest questions (don't be idiots with the questions either--they've earned respect--and limit yourself to 1). Hint. Hint.
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That's totally awesome. I'll be looking forward to that now!
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The interview with Margaret Weis went up on the blog this morning. Go over and check it out. We're also giving away some copies of Weis and Hickman's newest novel in conjunction with the interview.
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Trying to post without being anonymous was a pain...i think i posted as anonymous on GoTM should be obvious which one was mine
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Kaz. Go take a look again. You're a winner.
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She didn't answer the second part of my question *cries loudly*!!!! i knew it submitted it just took a while. THANKS GUYS!!!! And i sent nick my address.
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Hey, checked out the site the other week. I must say, you guys really make me laugh! Not to mention I've picked up a few books you've mentioned, and I guess I must now agree with you that you do indeed have fantastic taste ;)
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Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the reviews.
Remember that next week on the 15th we are posting our interview with R.A. Salvatore. We'll be giving away 5 copies of his newest novel as well.
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Hey, checked out the site the other week. I must say, you guys really make me laugh! Not to mention I've picked up a few books you've mentioned, and I guess I must now agree with you that you do indeed have fantastic taste ;)
I love this.
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When can i expect to receive da book?
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We are working with the publicist to see if she is going to send the books out to the winners on Wizards' dime, or if she is sending them to us first. It will be soon-ish.
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You know, I don't think I've ever read anything by Salvatore.
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He's nothing special....woops i mean HEEEE""SSSS GREAT!!!!!
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After reading over his responses to the questions Nick and I asked him for our interview this coming Thursday, my respect for him went up significantly. While many people may not like that his stories are blatant sword-n-sorcery based in RPG, there is no denying that he has paved a lot of the way for the Heroic Fantasy of now days. Check out our interview on Thursday...we really liked his responses.
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Sure thing.
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Salvatore's right up there with Weis and Hickman as one of THE people who got me into the genre. You can bet I'll be reading.
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The interview was posted this morning. It was a terrific interview with some really great answers. Go check it out.
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Your review site has made me realize something: I am a girl reader and you are boy readers. That isn't completely accurate because I know there are a lot of girls who read the books you review, but apparently, for the most part, I am not one of them. This makes me a little sad, strangely.
And I remember the one R.A. Salvatore book I've read. It had one female character with a name. She showed up at the very end in order to marry the hero. Sigh.
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Your review site has made me realize something: I am a girl reader and you are boy readers. That isn't completely accurate because I know there are a lot of girls who read the books you review, but apparently, for the most part, I am not one of them. This makes me a little sad, strangely.
Haha! Yeah, I guess I must be a girl reader that reads like a boy. :) Doesn't surprise me though, I can't tell you how many times people have called me "sir", or about the little boy that asked me if I'm really a girl. The thing is, I and no one I know can't figure out why this keeps happening to me, cause trust me, I do NOT look like a guy.
My taste in books, though, I blame my big brothers. That's what you get for letting a ten year old watch Blade.
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Your review site has made me realize something: I am a girl reader and you are boy readers. That isn't completely accurate because I know there are a lot of girls who read the books you review, but apparently, for the most part, I am not one of them. This makes me a little sad, strangely.
And I remember the one R.A. Salvatore book I've read. It had one female character with a name. She showed up at the very end in order to marry the hero. Sigh.
Lol! It's OK, Sigyn. Tell you what, shoot me a PM or email with some newly published books you would really like Nick and I to review that go more towards your taste. The reality is that you're not alone in this (queue sad, yet sympathetic, movie orchestral piece). No but really, there are a lot of people who read like you do. Seriously, shoot me some specifics to read. Just don't say Mercedes Lackey. Her covers alone make me vomit.
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Oh, I hate Mercedes Lackey too, so no problem there.
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Oh, I hate Mercedes Lackey too, so no problem there.
We have books by Faith Hunter, Gail Carriger, and Amanda Downum being reviewed in the very near future. You'll have to let Steve or I know what you think of those or if they still aren't what you're looking for. The first is marketed for women, the second is light-hearted comedic fantasy, the third is Amanda's entry into the Epic Fantasy market.
I noticed a while ago one of our readers, a girl, mentioned that we didn't review many female authors. So I have been trying to find female authors in a variety of genres, and books marketed towards girl readers. Its been....interesting to say the least. Steve and I figured I was the girly one of the pair so I got this job... What Steve? Just because I get manicures? I hate you.
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Hey can you guys review one of Harlan Ellison's novels i love his short stories but have yet to read a "book" by him.
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Oh, I hate Mercedes Lackey too, so no problem there.
We have books by Faith Hunter, Gail Carriger, and Amanda Downum being reviewed in the very near future. You'll have to let Steve or I know what you think of those or if they still aren't what you're looking for. The first is marketed for women, the second is light-hearted comedic fantasy, the third is Amanda's entry into the Epic Fantasy market.
I noticed a while ago one of our readers, a girl, mentioned that we didn't review many female authors. So I have been trying to find female authors in a variety of genres, and books marketed towards girl readers. Its been....interesting to say the least. Steve and I figured I was the girly one of the pair so I got this job... What Steve? Just because I get manicures? I hate you.
You love me. But yes you were the girl one. All our friends agreed.
And I also have the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel from Harris to read.
Kaz-- We'll see what we can find.
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Nobody likes you Steve. We took a vote.
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I know...I was there and voted with the unanimous decision. Though I though we were voting on whether you looked like a terrorist. Sneaky punks!
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I thought that decision had been reached a long time ago. Hey, so we need to get together. I feel bad for accepting the money your wife pays me to hang out with you, if we never hang out. I do have principlies you know.
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Is the site having some problems ATM? It's incredibly slow for me.
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His wife likes him if she pays you money to hang out with him, Slamel.
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Is the site having some problems ATM? It's incredibly slow for me.
It's loading very slow for me as well.
EDIT: By the way, I love the 300-level fantasy titles you've selected(that is, once the page loaded). I need to get on it.
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We have books by Faith Hunter, Gail Carriger, and Amanda Downum being reviewed in the very near future. You'll have to let Steve or I know what you think of those or if they still aren't what you're looking for. The first is marketed for women, the second is light-hearted comedic fantasy, the third is Amanda's entry into the Epic Fantasy market.
Ooh, those all sound interesting. Sorry for being needy.
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His wife likes him if she pays you money to hang out with him, Slamel.
Lies. She pays so she doesn't have to.
Is the site having some problems ATM? It's incredibly slow for me.
It's loading very slow for me as well.
EDIT: By the way, I love the 300-level fantasy titles you've selected(that is, once the page loaded). I need to get on it.
Yes it is loading slowly. I'm looking into it though.
We have books by Faith Hunter, Gail Carriger, and Amanda Downum being reviewed in the very near future. You'll have to let Steve or I know what you think of those or if they still aren't what you're looking for. The first is marketed for women, the second is light-hearted comedic fantasy, the third is Amanda's entry into the Epic Fantasy market.
Ooh, those all sound interesting. Sorry for being needy.
Oh, I work with Steve. I'm used to it.
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You know, I noticed the slowness of the site myself, but i figured the internets hated me like usual. I wonder if it is our site, or blogger itself...
Someone make a website for us so we don't have to deal with blogger.
Sigyn--No worries. If these authors don't do it for ya, let us know what you have your eyes on and we will do what we can to review whatever book you choose. It's the least we can do for you since you let us borrow one of your books.
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Slamel so really you are being paid with Steves own money....what does that make you i wonder?
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A whore.
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A whore.
Ah. You're a Friendship Whore.....I wonder--how many people seek your whoring?....Unless that's confidential information and you'd be breaking the Whore Code of Honor by telling us....But really, what whore really cares about the WCH? It's more like guidelines anyway....
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Well, you see, the reason I funnel the money through my mom is so if I get audited by the IRS it's harder to trace. It also gives Nick deniability. It works well. And actually in my experience, whores care deeply about the WCH. Work-place pride and all that.
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Wait, your wife happens to be your mom? Wow Oedpus Rex....
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And actually in my experience, whores care deeply about the WCH. Work-place pride and all that.
Well, I will defer to your knowledge on this matter. I haven't met enough whores to truly know about their stance on the WCH. Most of the ones I know are like me and think honor is generally lame. But then again, I haven't exactly asked them specifically about whore honor. My bad.
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Wait, your wife happens to be your mom? Wow Oedpus Rex....
Keep up, I pay through both of them to keep it from being easily traced.
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So if I understand this correctly, you give your mom the money, who then gives it to your wife, who then pays Nick? Very wise. The IRS will no doubt not notice such a roundabout way of bribing a person.
Note: *Any sarcasm detected not intended. Seriously.*
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I'm pretty sure it's more complicated than that. Steve probably gives his father the money, who gives it to his wife, who gives it to Steve's wife, who gives it to her mother, who gives it to Steve's father-in-law, who gives it to Slamel's father, who gives it to his wife, who gives it to Slamel's housekeeper, who leaves it on the dining room table every week.
Yeah. That's how it goes down. Don't tell the feds.
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Getting warmer.
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Getting warmer.
Same thing, except that the money is laundered between each step?
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My extracurricular activities aside, it seems the problem with slowdown rectified itself. Is this the case for everyone else?
Sort- I find it extremely discomforting that you Facebook stalked me right after talk about me being a whore...
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Hey, we all need friends, and those of us who need to pay to get them have to keep on the lookout.
>.>
<.<
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Because there was no mention of this extensive money laundering before my comment i stand by it.... Steve is just a sicko!!! :P
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Steve is just a sicko!!!
Them's fightin' words.
Kaz, I honestly don't think you want insult someone who could (potentially) be involved with money-laundering and makes it his life's work to evade the feds. Such a person no doubt knows criminals (since he is one himself, technically), and when that person is Steve...well. Run and hide. That's all the advice I can give you. And even that probably won't be enough...
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Steve is just a sicko!!!
Them's fightin' words.
Kaz, I honestly don't think you want insult someone who could (potentially) be involved with money-laundering and makes it his life's work to evade the feds. Such a person no doubt knows criminals (since he is one himself, technically), and when that person is Steve...well. Run and hide. That's all the advice I can give you. And even that probably won't be enough...
This reminds me of that scene in Dark Knight where the guy tries to blackmail Wayne Industries...and it is (potentially) correct.
Now, I haven't noticed any slowdown the past 24 hours on the blog. I'm going to pretend that Nick fixed it. Good job Nick. Way to fix blogger's problem.
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Soulless looks really interesting. Good interview!
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STEVE:
Two things.
One: Go to Don D'Amassa's media review site (http://www.dondammassa.com/R3A2009.htm) and read the first two sentences of the review for Frostbite by David Wellington. Even though the book will probably not fall into the category of those you'd want to review, when I read Don's comments at the beginning I couldn't help but think about how much you'd love his idea. Got a good laugh out of it anyhow.
Two: When working for Waldenbooks, did you work at the one down at Provo Towne Center? And if so, did you know a Robin that worked/works there? Cause she's my neighbor. :D Just realized there might be a connection there that I hadn't noticed before. Trippy how small the world can be sometimes.
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Yeah, that was one of the stores I worked at. I also ran the store up in the Fashion Place Mall after they fired the whole staff (after we fixed the store they closed it down. Idiots.) So yeah, I knew Robin. We were friends for a while, and then had a falling out due to her working habits (which were a minor reason for me leaving the company). Nice girl, and we had a lot of fun working together for a while.
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Sort- I find it extremely discomforting that you Facebook stalked me right after talk about me being a whore...
Don't feel bad. He stalks me, too.
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Well, I kind of stalked him a couple hours ago, so it all evens out in the end... ;)
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Sort- I find it extremely discomforting that you Facebook stalked me right after talk about me being a whore...
Don't feel bad. He stalks me, too.
I dont feel bad. I just wonder if his intentions are honorable.
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It's Sort. Do you really have to ask if his intentions are honorable? I say no. Simply look at his class and you'll know. Student of Deception. Whatever he tells you will be a lie. Unless he tells you that his intentions are dishonorable, because then he'll be telling the truth...
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We do not lie we mislead duh!
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I'm a Student of Deception, but what titles have I held? Juggler. Various flea-infested poverty-stricken characters. Street performer. Apart from my deceptively tiny fleas who will crawl on your palms and make you clap, what deceptive occupation have I held?
As far as facebook stalking goes, I just want your email addresses to sell to spammers.
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Performing is a sort of deception...
Anyway, you're a student of deception, not a Master Deceiver.
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You were an aristocrat....don't you miss it i do.... :(
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We do not lie we mislead duh!
Psh. It's just a different name to the same old trick. Lying, misleading. Misleading only makes it sound like it's better...but it's not.
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Oh, and what are you? A student of "Light Magic"? What's that supposed to do for you? Oh, look at me! I give people sunburns! I blind opponents, which is totally different than deception. It's the old "look at this flashlight" trick.
I can see the uses of Lite Magic, but Light Magic? Come on.
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No with misleading we tell people the truth we just skew the perspective, and it works SOOO much better than lieing duh!!! I'm not against lieing but well it's for amatuers.
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Then there's me, a student of Dark Magic. I'm not misleading at all. I'm blunt and to the point. Yes, my magic is dark, yes, I will kill you all, and yes, I am casting spells on you now. I'm just that cool.
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Ha you killed my man-eating bunny that i made you think was me!!!!
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Andrew the Great is Richard???? Cool ;D
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Hey Steve and Nick, I was wondering when you'd be reviewing The Gathering Storm.
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Uh, soon-ish. I think Nick is getting his US copy today, and my UK import is in the mail. Realistically, we can afford to have our opinion on this wait a bit. No sense rushing it. People in general aren't exactly waiting on our say-so to buy this novel...
But yeah, soon-ish. I'm interested in the novel, but remaining very cautious about whether I am optimistic or not. 90% of WoT fans are gonna say it's awesome regardless. I'm expecting more...middle of the road i guess?
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*shrug* I'm no Wheel of Time fan, but I'm merely interested on seeing your opinion of it :)
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90% of WoT fans are gonna say it's awesome regardless.
See, I think THAT's optimistic. I'm not talking about how good I think the book will be, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of discontented people, after all the wait, all the buildup, etcetera etcetera etctera.
I'll be really interested to see how it's received, actually. The difficulty will be finding out without getting mega spoilers, as I confidently expect not to have time to read the book until December (by which point it won't be out in mass market yet, anyway).
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I'm almost at the 200 page mark and it is pretty damn good so far....
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well, i have to swear off this site now until I read it.....
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We are on vacation at World Fantasy. No reviews for a week. Though do check out my wonderful paint drawing on the vacation announcement.
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Just finished the audio book of Rothfuss's Name of the Wind and it was excellent. It was so good, I'll need to read it sometime. I usually only listen to audio books after I've first read them, but this was at the library and I do love being read-to when doing dishes/folding clothes/riding bikes. Thanks for the recommendation and the review.
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Just finished Gathering Storm and I thought it was pretty awesome, though I felt that Mat was a bit off.
Andrew the Great is Richard???? Cool ;D
I will kill you. With my copy of the Gathering Storm. Because I said so. And because honestly, it'd be easier than any other suitable method of killing you. That book is big......
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcbazH6aE2g&feature=player_embedded
That is Richard.....
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Why Andrew, I didn't know you could sing.
=D
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I will still kill you. Though, possibly not as violently.
And Silk, of course I can sing. I'm good at everything. Obviously.
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hi. just got back from vacation. returned with 87bazillion novels to read and review. luckily I didn't have to pack them on the plane...
and for my moment of geekdom, I had a nice long chat with Steven Erikson and his co-author Ian Cameron Esslemont. they were full of coolness.
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I'm so jealous.
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Andrew re-direct your anger at Steve and help me kill him out of jealousy!!!!
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Yeah, we posted a Gathering Storm review--it was hard to write. Next week we'll have Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol--it was easy to write.
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Interesting review. I had no idea our feelings were so similar regarding The Wheel of Time. Personally, I'm waiting on all 14 to come out before I dedicate a few months of my life to plowing through them all again.
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Next week we'll have Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol--it was easy to write.
My enthusiasm is unbridled :)
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Heheheh. Thanks for that review, guys. Seriously, brightened my entire day.
Also: The Ghost King was waiting for me today! I look forward to ... uh, well, not reading it until December when I have time, but still. ::)