Finished: Orcs - Stan Nicholls

I finished this book yesterday and all in all was pleased with it. The action and plot moved along quickly, and it was engaging enough to keep the pages turning at a good rate.

This book does, however, have a few things going against it. In some cases, the story took seemingly random and inexplicably fate driven turns that were almost in the character of Alice in Wonderland...things just kept happening because, well, they happened.

The second downfall was the reading level. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem reading a book that is written for young adults, I wasn't insulted by the easy read. The part that bothered me is that the content of the book didn't match the reading level. There were parts that were pretty gory and some that were sexual (going a bit beyond just implication, but not necessarily over explicit), which again I have no problem with, aside from the fact that it didn't relate to the reading level. If you're going to write adult themed content, write at an adult reading level.

Overall, the book was enjoyable for what I expected it to be - a light read from a unique perspective in a new fantasy world. It was good enough for me to not hesitate to buy the second book in the series (called Orcs: Bad Blood), but I would only recommend it to fans of fantasy that are looking for a light read as a diversion between books or series'.

Started: Orcs - Stan Nicholls

I started reading this book last night, and got through the first bloody, action packed chapter and it looks to be a promising read. I picked this one out based on it's unique story perspective, written through the eyes of orcs. It will be interesting to see things from the "monster's" perspective, rather than the hero that is slaying these beasties.

Finished: A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin

I finished this book two evenings ago, taking out the last 150 or so pages in one sitting. I hesitate to even compare this book to the previous one, A Game of Thrones, since it is almost more of a direct continuation of a building plot line that is epic in both scope and execution.

Despite it's large size (the main book is just shy of 1000 pages, and then there is a 50+ page appendix) this book is completely packed with juicy storyline, there is no filler text in here trying to stretch out the book or the story, it's 100% full go all the way through.

I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of fantasy books who isn't frightened by a large page count.

Started: A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin

Started digging into book two of the A Song of Ice and Fire series last night. It's a bit more than I was looking to tackle at the moment, but I just couldn't resist getting back to the story line any longer - I've got to know how things turn out with the kingdom in such turmoil...I'll not go into any more details so as to not risk spoiling anything in case you haven't read the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, yet (which you need to).

3/12 Edit: In reading through the first chapter, I can say that there literally isn't a single page of storyline missing between A Game of Thrones and this book - it picks right up where it left off. I'm pretty excited.

Finished: The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett

Just wrapped up this novel about 15 minutes ago - and it was definitely a good one, and nothing like I expected. For some reason I had this image of heavy political satyr and wacked-out-across-the-pond type humor going in to this, and it wasn't a novel entirely comprised of that (although satyr and humor are definitely in there).

Instead, it was a nicely done fantasy novel that takes place in a purposefully ridiculous reality with a meandering storyline in the style of Alice in Wonderland where the only thing consistent is the charm of the world and the characters. *Although I didn't particularly care for Alice in Wonderland, it makes a valid comparison here.*

I would recommend this to any fantasy reader who is looking for a "light" book to read, and I'll definitely be picking up the next one in the series.

Started: The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett

I finally started this book - I think it's been sitting on my shelf for about 3 years, and it was a present from Amy and Andrew so that makes it twice as bad that it took me so long. But it's finally made it's way to the top of my seemingly infinite reading queue - I've just been waiting for the right time to enjoy a more casual novel with some satire.

I've heard good things about the Discworld novels by Pratchett, although I'm a bit worried that it won't exactly be my cup of tea (ha ha - English joke), which is a large part of the reason I was waiting until I was in the right mood for it. I hope I get out of this series what so many others have.

Finished: Chainfire - Terry Goodkind

Finished this one up about an hour ago. Well worth the read. There were parts for the first half of the book where I felt like character conversations were repetitive, but other than that minor flaw I enjoyed the book thoroughly. My only regret is that there is only two more in the series - I'm trying to savor this one as best as I can.

For reference, this was book 9 of 11 in the Sword of Truth series. The series starts off with Wizards First Rule, but if you're thinking about getting it you should just go straight for the first boxed set.

Started: Chainfire - Terry Goodkind

Chainfire surprised me by leaping into first place in my reading queue yesterday. I had a few other novels that I was planning to chose from, but for some reason I just had the urge to see what was next in the Sword of Truth series. If you're not already familiar with this series, you need to be. This is book 9 of 11, and they have all been good reads; admittedly I do have my favorites, though, since they all have a strong unique theme and style to them. Looking to check out this series? The first book is called Wizards First Rule...you won't be disappointed.

I only got a few chapters in so far, and already I'm looking forward to a good read with a very unique and interesting situation that the author wastes no time diving in to.

Finished: The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle

I finished this book yesterday, and all in all was very impressed. Even without considering the books age (this was the 40th Anniversary edition) this was a fantastic read and a great story for any reader, not just fans of fantasy books. I would highly recommend this when you need a casual read, especially if you are an avid fantasy novel reader - you will notice many correlations between this and modern works.

Midway: The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle

I'm currently reading this book...about halfway through at the moment. So far I can say it's a good book and I would easily recommend it. I'm noticing that many things in this fantasy classic were influences on some newer authors that I really respect - this book seems to be a foundational fantasy novel.