M.

Pure Abercrombie

Revisado: 03-10-11

Great book and pure Abercrombie. Gritty, grim and very funny. Not of the faint of heart.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

Excellent

Revisado: 09-17-09

The prologue was wonderful. The opening scene with the farmer was utterly chilling. Great to see Rand and the gang back in action.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

John Galt or Rand Al'Thor?

Revisado: 11-03-08

This book and series is hugely influenced by Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time", embarrassingly so at times. I've slogged through most of the series (currently bogged on book 9), and the a few of the books in the series are quite good, excellent in fact. Ayn Rand was also a big influence on this series. At times I thought I was listening to "Atlas Shrugged".
If you like sprawling epic fantasy (Wheel of Time, Song of Ice and Fire, etc.) and appreciate Ayn Rand's philosophy, you might like this. The books and writing do get better after this one, but the Randian philosophy increases. Richard can be as long winded as John Galt when giving a speech.
With reservation, I do like this series (though I was shocked to find so much of "The Wheel of Time" in it.) "Wizard's First Rule" is not the best of the series, but this is where you have to start.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Series

Revisado: 10-13-08

I love this series. Start with "Dies the Fire". I agree -- if you like Jordan or Martin, you'll like this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

100 Year War

Revisado: 03-31-08

I became interested in the 100 Year War after reading George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series. I had heard that Martin's series was based on the 100 year war (and The War of the Roses).

"The Hundred Year War, Volume 1" is no fantansy, but it's still a good story. It introduced me to two fascinating historical figures I was not familiar with -- King Edward III, and his son, "The Black Prince", Edward the IV.

"The Song of Ice and Fire" gives a fictional account of the horrors of medieval warfare. After reading this history, I'd say Martin got it right. It was brutal warfare, especially if you were a peasant.

For fantasy fans this is a good read. It is certainly not fantasy and reads as a history, but it provides so much back-ground material that is present in modern fantasy. Much of the warfare depicted in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series comes right out of the 100 year war. (The "Two Rivers" bow, is of course, the English longbow.)

As to the English longbow, it utterly dominated the battlefield. It was a simple, but brutally effective weapon and was the main reason why the English army was so effective in this war.

I am no fan of feudalism or Kingdoms, and would not like to live under such systems, but when the ruling classes of the medieval era decided to go to war, they were right in the thick of the battle. King Edwards or his son was present in every major battle depicted in this book. Compare that to our own effete ruling classes. Except in very rare circumstances, they and their children will be many thousands of miles from the battles of the wars they start.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 39 personas

Great SF

Revisado: 11-25-07

Weber is the best. Great story, great characters, lots of intriguing ideas. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Classic Science Fiction

Revisado: 07-31-07

Classic science fiction from the master. A wonderful mystery and a wonderful story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Quaint and Creepy

Revisado: 06-07-07

This is science fiction from the late 40's and is replete with slide rules, vacuum tubes and typewriters. It started out quaint and I thought it was kind of fun. By the time I got to it's conclusion I hated this book. The utopia the authors presents makes my skin crawl. The Humanoids are utterly creepy.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Infantryman's war

Revisado: 01-16-06

An excellent account of America's role in Europe during World War II, much of it based on the author's own experience as an infantryman. If your understanding of World War II comes from watching movies, this is a must read book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas