"The Warded Man" by Peter V. Brett

Updated rating and review

Not often do I come back to a book that I had originally decided to set aside unfinished (not often meaning 99% of the time), but I remember how this book had drawn me in until certain aspects had accrued and I went back in for seconds. Those aspects still bothered me, despite trying to see them as they were probably intended, they just came off as lewd. But everything else was excellent. The concept was five stars, the story was five stars, the writing was five stars .. the only thing that brought my rating down was the cringe worthiness of the sexual parts.

I may not have made this sound like a glowing review, but I am immediately starting book two and that says a lot. Rating: 4 Stars
Previous review and rating
The concept of demons raising every night at dusk to terrorize the people who take cover and hide behind warded doors like a strict bedtime ritual when the sun goes down, is one that I haven't really seen used before. It intrigued me. There were some issues with the book that irked me, and there were some flaws in the story itself, but the concept of it all was what was pulling me in and holding my attention despite all of that. And it worked until certain events took place.

One of the things that irked me was the authors demeaning way of portraying women. They are beneath men, and shown as being little more then breeders. Their top priorities are to reproduce, and they are made to feel shame if unable to do so. A part of me tried to take this as it was probably intended to be taken, given the circumstances of this miserable existence ... but from what I have read, this sexism only worsens as the book, and in fact the series, progresses. Women are either a slut or not one. That is how they are defined.

And a major flaw in the book, that I could see just from the little that I did read, is that the demons can not cross the wards ... but what is to keep them from flinging some large boulders towards the dwellings as inanimate objects appear not to be repelled? Perhaps this is touched upon later in the book or the series ... perhaps not.

I'll never know.

Because at page 55 the author felt the need to incorporate some rather lewd material into the story. It was meant to be seen as shocking, but for some reason it just raised my hackles and left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt like it was unnecessary and poorly done. As a reader of fantasy I have certainly read some less then savory scenes that didn't bother me, but the authors use of it just doesn't agree with me. Upon reading some reviews it sounds like it just gets progressively worse from here on out. Some describing it as some sort of odd fantasy porn.

I was enjoying the book, but I'll be taking my leave hereRating: 2 Stars
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"The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss

I feel like it would be regarded as utter sacrilege to give this book, this author, this trilogy, this huge following of devoted fans, anything but a review of which is just filled with all glorifying praise for it.

Bless me Father, for I have sinned.

As with a large percentage of reviews for this particular book, you will see rather quickly that a large majority of readers preferred the first book to this second one. I being one of them. When it comes to trilogies, or series, you will find that they either progress and become beautifully developed, and the writing itself becomes stronger .. or it can go in the direction that this one did, which is to regress and actually become weaker in almost every aspect. I liked the first book. The opening of the book actually striking me as one of the better portions of it, the portion that drew me in so deeply. That grip that it had on me was slowly loosened more and more as the book continued, and alas, it never came back to its full power. But it was still a well written, well developed, and entertaining read. I must of enjoyed it as I did immediately begin reading this one as soon as I had finished it. And perhaps that is why I noticed such a stark contrast between the two. The quality of the writing being diminished, the quality of the story becoming diminished, the characters themselves .. diminished. Lets get into the actual breakdown of this review.

For roughly 350 pages there wasn't a lot happening that did much for the story line. It felt like filler, and purely filler for the sake of filler as this book is nearly 1000 pages. We did a lot of drinking and playing at the Eolian with Kvothe and his two friends, Sim and Wilem. A lot of time. We continuously had frequent updates on Kvothe's money situation. How much money he had in his purse, how much money he had to pay for things, how much money he needed to pay for things, how much money his tuition was. For someone that had so little money in his earlier years, and for someone who is always so aware of his money needs, Kvothe sure is stupid when it comes to the managing of his money. He seems to spend it as soon as he gets it, and uses it on frivolous wants such as on his drinking. I think that he may have a drinking problem.

The characters. I have come to realize that a lot of the characters aren't actually very developed. Who are Sim and Wilem? They appear to only be there as a backdrop for Kvothe. They really don't have any personality, and basically come off as being the same person. They are the Watson's to Sherlock Holmes. Kvothe obviously being the most developed character, but I find that the only character that I have come to like is that of Elodin. His character fascinates me.

The females. There are some male authors who cannot write a female character, and I would count Rothfuss among them. When we are introduced to a male character we usually get the general description of what he is wearing, maybe hair color, or even body build, or way of talking. When we are introduced to a female character we get the entire run down, and it is cringe worthy. What she is wearing, her body, her hair color, the shape and color of her eyes, her lips, her teeth, her long elegant neck. What the heck, man? Its all about outward appearances, and therefore his female characters come off as overly sexual objects. In fact I will be going into more detail on this shortly. His female characters relay on their sexuality .. and that's basically all that they are there for. Take Denna for example. I loathe Denna. I do not understand Kvothe's fascination with her, and while I believe that she will have a part in the story later on, right now I currently cannot see the reason for her. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her? Because she brings everything on herself, and there is no sympathy there.

Onto the whole business of females being purely sexual objects, and this is really where the ratings started to drop fast. Felurian. What was that?! Why was this even necessary? At this point, even though I disliked how Rothfuss developed his female characters previously, this is where I started to really see this as some kind of perverted teenage boy fantasy. If you have read the book, you will know of which parts I am speaking of. From there on, no woman can seem to resist Kvothe, and Kvothe himself thinks nothing of sleeping around with multiple woman. Usually this doesn't bother me, but as I stated earlier, this was just poorly done and only seemed to fuel some kind of perverted thrill.

This brings me to the Gary Sue character. We all know that Gary Sue character. That guy that is not only the best looking, but he is also the bravest, the best at everything that he does, the quickest to learn, the most powerful. That basically just describes our Kvothe. Add on top of that, now the best sexual partner too. Nobody likes a Gary Sue.

With that all being said .. I was still entertained by the book. It was 1000 pages of being mildly entertained. The more perverted scenes didn't crop up until I felt like I was too far into the book to call it quits. I feel like I will read book three, if book three ever happens, as I am at this point curious as to where the story will go. I felt like Rothfuss dropped several hints throughout the book, and I have a general idea of where it is going. No one seems to question who exactly, Bredon is .. and we already know that Kvothe has spread tall tails of his doings, and that this is supposed to be the true telling of his story, but events that took place may suggest that he has also embellished this as well ..

So bottom line is, I was entertained, but these books will no longer reside on my bookshelf.

Rating : 3 Stars

"The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch

This book is roughly a little over seven hundred pages. For a rough estimation of three hundred and fifty of those pages I was not overly impressed by the book. I almost set this one aside with the assumption that it just didn't cater to my particular tastes. 

The book moved slowly, and the first jump from the past to the present confused me. It works later on in the book, but it did throw me through a loop that first time that it happened. The long introduction to the story, and to the characters themselves, was obviously leading up to something, but in the first half of the book the individual characters came off as flat, one dimensional cardboard cutouts. We were told how they think, feel, and behave, but we weren't shown this until later on in the book. Once we started to see the personalities in action, the anger, the raw emotion, you can't help but feel for these guys .. and feeling for a character in a book is when you know that your character came to life.

This is basically a book about a heist, within a heist, within a heist, and then a few plots, cons, and schemes thrown in for good measure. The difference between the first half of this book, and the second half of this book were almost night and day. The second half being action packed, fast pacing, gory, and taking twists and turns that you did not expect. The lack of magical elements were notable for a large portion of this book, but they did make a appearance.

This isn't just a book about a gang of thieves. Its a entire network of thieves. Schemes, heists, plots, cons, disguises, trickery. Most of the city is corrupt in one way or another.

Cocky little Locke Lamora. I can't help but love him. He is brilliant of mind. A master of cons, and of disguises. Just when I thought that I understood how his mind worked, he would pull a fast one on me. But he is also by no means a Gary Sue. Locke is weak of body, and not of much use in a fist to fist combat, its his mind that is brilliant. He doesn't possess amazing fighting skills, he doesn't have any magical abilities, and he isn't even that good looking. That's what makes this character so believable, and even likable. He might be brilliant, but he makes a lot of mistakes. And the mistakes and risks taken during this heist of his, will cost him dearly.

Jean. I also love Jean. He, like Locke, comes off as a believable, as well as likable character. Being heavy set, he is not going to be winning any races, but he does know how to fight. His large body mistakenly causes people to see him as unintelligent, which couldn't be farther from the truth. But what I liked most about him was his devotion, and absolute love for Locke. They are brothers in every sense other then in blood.

Because of the first half of this book, I cannot rate it higher then a 4.25 stars. But I did really enjoy this book, and I will be reading the rest of them.

My Updated Shelfie

Folks, this is what my personal library consists of these days. Striving for a minimalist lifestyle, the only books that I keep and own are the ones that I have the most passion for. The ones that I would rate five stars. The ones that I would happily read and re-read over and over again. I'm a book lover. I love books, and I love to read. But that doesn't mean that I have to hoard books. I will just be making more use of my local library.

My First Easton Press Order

 I recently made my first, and quite possibly my only, Easton Press book order. Long have I lusted after the Easton Press editions of The Lord of the Rings. Years. On my journey to a life as a minimalist I have gotten rid of not only a lot of books, but also a lot of non book related possessions as well. The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books, and my previous edition was nothing special. A hardcover of The Hobbit with dust cover, and a Huffington Mifflin 50th anniversary slipcase edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in one. I sold these to help fund this investment. I figured that such a beautiful story deserved to have a equally beautiful edition. And lets just admit it, I wanted to treat myself ..

"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me."

This is the story of Kvothe, told to us by Kvothe over the course of three days. The book begins in the present, and switches back and fourth from present to past as Kvothe meets the Chronicler through seemly ill fate, and consents to tell him his story, on one condition. It must be his entire story, and told in his words only. Only here in the present, he is known at Kote to the townspeople. Posing as a innkeeper, he appears to be running from his past. He begins the story as a young boy, in his families troupe of traveling performers. This is where he is first introduced to Sympathy, and finds that he has a talent for it. Tells of his years as a orphan on the streets of Tarbean. His desperate attempt to gain admittance at the University, and later his struggles and hardship during his attendance there. He possesses talent that not many of the other students can claim, but is at a disadvantage because of barely managing to scrape by on the high tuition costs. We see here that the rumors and stories surrounding him are true, but see how the stories really were as they unfold. The rumors being perhaps a little far fetched, and more ignorant then the truth, but the real events being impressive none the less. This is the real story of Kvothe.

To me this book started off very strong. It captured my attention, and held it. I'll admit that my attention started to wander a bit by the time that we came to Kvothe's childhood, and started to spend some time with the traveling performers. It picked up again while we were trying to survive on the harsh, cruel streets of Tarbean. Although I was feeling a distinct lack of the fantasy genre during this phase, it all made sense as to the backstory of Kvothe. This is a slow build up to our present, and not only a necessary part of the story, but a carefully crafted one. My original attention was caught again once we actually reached the University. The University is the heart of the magic system in this book. The magic system here, of binding and naming to work magic, is one that I have only seen used a few times before now. It works, it is done beautifully. I like how in this setting seemly anyone can learn the use of Sympathy, but in order to get accepted into the University you must be not only intelligent, but have the talent of Sympathy. The less talented being weeded out. Magic here is something that must be learned, rather then something that just is.

The slower parts of this book did slightly lower my rating, but I would still rate this as a solid 4.5 stars. Towards the end it did actually pick up.

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

I listened to this as a audio book.

This book evoked emotion from me, and that is not easily done. I experienced some sadness, but mostly anger and frustration. And not directed towards the book, but because of the book and the events that were taking place. It drew me in despite the horror of it.

We are seeing things unfold through the eyes of a eleven year old boy who is soon to become twelve. This life of his is perfectly normal in every sense. This is the only way of life that he knows, and what his parents, and their parents, and so on, knew as a way of life. You become exasperated during the introduction of the book, but you are seeing it through his eyes. The eyes of a child. The events taking place are somehow lessened because of them being seen through the innocence of the child, despite you realizing the reality of what is happening. The brain washed society, with their disturbing methods. Its not until our character matures slightly, and is suddenly given a task that opens his eyes that we see the magnitude of it all. Suddenly the horror of it all floods into your senses.

I wasn't overly satisfied with how it concluded, but was content. 

Rating: 4 Stars

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

I was listening to this as a audio book. I cannot even fathom how the experience would of been if I had been reading the actual physical book, as I have heard that how the book is laid out causes massive grimaces from readers. As it was, I had to stop listening to it by disc two.

I almost feel as though people look too deeply into this book. Taking the simplistic writing style as a part of the genius of this book, while I tend to see it merely as poor writing, and dare I say? Lazy. 

No, I shall pass on this one.

Rating: 1 Star - Did not finish

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams

I read the entire series in printed form a few years ago, but this time I listened to it as a audio book which is narrated by Stephen Fry. Such a lovely way to spend the time going and coming from work each day, and the narration itself was top notch. It made the listening experience a pleasure, and really drew you into the story.

I adore Douglas Adam's witty sarcasm, and some of his characters, such as Marvin the depressed robot, is pure genius.

Perfect? Well no. But it was entertaining, and it was side splitting funny. I do believe that the audio version tops the printed form .. which feels like a act of blasphemy for me to say so.

As for some of the less savory bits ..

Douglas Adam was a atheist. I am a Christian. He made his atheism very well known during the duration of the book. Such things don't bother me per say, and I was even able to see the humor in it, but what did bother me to a certain extent was the way that several times throughout the book he belittles religion, and even mocks God. It's fine if you see yourself as a atheist, but can one who focuses so much time and energy on the subject, really say in all certainty that they don't even have the slightest doubt that maybe there is a God? And that that doubt nags them into their lashing out? I see no reason to mock something that one does not believe to exist.

Don't Panic

The words Don't Panic imply that quite possibly there is a reason that you would, in fact, be panicking. Could that reason be because planet Earth just happens to be in the way of the new hyperspace bypass plans, and therefore must go? That's the first of Arthur Dent's problems. Earths eradication sets off Arthur's wacky, utterly insane, and hold your sides laughable adventures through the galaxy.

Douglas Adams has a sharp, witty, sarcastic way of writing that makes for a very pleasurable read. Word of advice, that humor comes through so much nicer when read with a British accent. ;)

Rating : 4 Stars

"A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

It was coincidence that I picked up "A Wizard of Earthsea" and "The Name of the Wind" at the same time as one another. One I owned, and was for my leisure time. The other I checked out from the library and it was intended for reading during my lunch break at work. The last mentioned being this book. Finished first not only because It is far shorter in length, but also because I ended up bringing it into the house with me tonight in order to finish it, because the author was able to draw me in enough that I desired to see how it played out.

You may be wondering why I mentioned "The Name of the Wind" in this particular review, and why I deemed it a coincidence that I chose to read these two books together. If you have read both of these books then you will probably already be aware of what I am about to say. They are both very similar. The magic system, the protagonist to a extent, and the magical school element. It is clear that Rothfuss was inspired by this book. I say inspired, because it is also clear that he was able to make it his own and take it in a different direction. The differences are not only in the story, but in the writing.

Le Guin has a beautiful way of writing, and her books obviously inspired many authors of fantasy. And with that being said, the story was there, but the characters never felt fleshed out to me. It was all very one dimensional. Her story telling tended to follow the path of telling you, rather then showing you. Rothfuss creates such fleshed out characters, that I couldn't help but compare the two.

I did actually really enjoy the read however, and I am rather impressed by her impact on the genre. If you think about it, she not only inspired Patrick Rothfuss, but also possibly authors such as J.K. Rowling based on the magical school element within both books.

Overall rating, a solid 3.5 

That's Not Me Anymore

The last time that I posted anything on this blog was back in February of last year. A recent notification of a comment being made on one of my posts lead me back here today. I haven't pulled up this page for so long, and started to wonder why, as I truly did enjoy the entire experience. One of the biggest reasons that is coming to me however, is simply because I am no longer that reader. I have shared pictures of my book collection, as well as pictures of my many book hauls .. would it shock you to know that I now only own one of those three bookcases full of books? Would it surprise you to hear that I have not bought a single book since last year? Because it's true. I embraced a minimalist lifestyle earlier this year, and although I still am not where I want to be, it has changed me as a reader.

I am still a avid reader, as well as lover of books. But the reader that I was, that's not me anymore.

The entire method and reason of a minimalist lifestyle is only surrounding yourself with that of which you truly love, and eliminating the needless clutter in your home and in your life. Therefore also eliminating mind clutter, and being able to enjoy other things in life more. It has also effected me as a reader. In a positive note. I cleared out my book collection, going through the entire thing book by book. I eventually narrowed it down to one, not even full, bookcase. Because I got rid of so many books I was also able to eliminate two entire bookcases. My smaller book collection now brings me so much more happiness then my larger one ever did. And once you start becoming more selective about what you surround yourself with, you also become more selective about what you chose to spend your time doing. That involves reading. Not reading in itself, but rather the quality of that content that you are dedicating your time to. This has been one of my best reading years, and you know what that has consisted of up to now? Re-reading the entire Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, re-reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and re-reading The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien (I've nearly completed The Return of the King at this point). Only about eleven books in total, and all re-reads, but I loved every second of it.

That is the kind of reader that I am now.