Susan Hated Literature

Author: Jean Plaidy
ISBN: 9780099493259 DDC: 823.914
Read with Historical Favorites
See also: LibraryThing ; Literature Map ; Scandalous Women ; Susan Higginbotham

In an apartment of that royal palace which recently, by the command of the King, had had its name changed from Shene to Richmond, three children were ranged about a blazing fire.

This novel tells the story of Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, and sister to King Henry VIII. As a teenager she married King James IV of Scotland in an effort to bring peace between England and Scotland. The rose and the thistle of the novel’s title.

Jean Plaidy has written plenty of historical fiction books. This is the 8th in the Tudor series alone. But it is the first one I’ve ever read by her. And I’d have to say I’m not really all that impressed.

Continue Reading »

Related posts

• The Sunne in Splendour (2)
• The Agony and the Ecstasy (7)
• Katherine (2)
• The Game of Kings (0)
• The Egyptologist (0)

Author: Scott Lynch
ISBN: 9780575079755 DDC: 813.6
Book 1 of The Gentleman Bastards Sequence
LibraryThing ; Scott Lynch’s site ; Shards of Delirium ; Ficsation ; The Core Dump ; Speculative Horizons ;

At the height of the long wet summer of the Seventy-Seventh Year of Sendovani, the Thiefmaker of Camorr paid a sudden and unannounced visit to the Eyeless Priest at the Temple of Perelandro, desperately hoping to sell him the Lamora boy.

Locke Lamora doesn’t meet the usual standards of fantasy hero. He is slightly built, doesn’t have much skill with a sword, and then of course there is the fact that he is a thief and a conman. A conman even to the other thieves of Camorr. To them he is a small time gang leader, competent but insignificant. And if they were to learn that he was the real person behind the legendary Thorn of Camorr he’d be in quiet a bit of strife. He, and the other Gentleman Bastards spend their lives hiding who they really are, and the fortune they have amassed through their cons. But trouble is heading their way. Capa Barsavi, leader of the thieves of Camorr, is facing an outside threat. A figure known only as the Grey King is killing off various gang leaders. And pretty soon Locke finds himself trapped in the middle of the conflict.

Continue Reading »

Related posts

• Poison Study (3)
• The Briar King (0)
• Goblin Quest (2)
• Time Traveller’s Wife (2)
• Throne of Jade (2)

Author: Maria V. Snyder
ISBN: 077830163X DDC: 813.6
Group read with FantasyFavorites
See also: LibraryThing ; anidori-isilee ; Karissa’s Reviews ; Shantyrant

Locked in darkness that surrounded me like a coffin, I had nothing to distract me from my memories. Vivid recollections waited to ambush me whenever my mind wandered.

The monarchy of Ixia has recently been overthrown by Commander Ambrose and is now ruled by the Code of Behaviour. Punishments are absolute; there is no leeway or excuse that will save you if you break the rules, whether you simply didn’t wear the correct uniform or killed someone. So Yelena expects nothing but a hanging after she killed the son of a high ranking General. But she is offered a slight chance when she is given the choice of either accepting her hanging or becoming the food-taster for the Commander. She accepts the position, and so is poisoned to ensure her loyalty, she’ll need access to the antidote that only Valek, the Commander’s second-in-command can provide.

Continue Reading »

Related posts

• Magic Study (2)
• The Lies of Locke Lamora (4)
• Time Traveller’s Wife (2)
• The Briar King (0)
• Goblin Quest (2)

Author: Connie Willis
ISBN: 0450579875 DDC: 813.54
See also: LibraryThing ; SF Reviews ;
Read with Eclectic Circus

Mr. Dunworthy opened the door to the laboratory and his spectacles promptly steamed up.
“Am I too late?” he said, yanking them off and squinting at Mary.

In the year 2525, there are women… sorry, about that interruption from Cleopatra 2525, it was really out of place, considering that this book isn’t even set in 2525, but in the year 2054, when historians could travel back in time to really study their subjects. Kivrin is one such historian. But she doesn’t want to travel to the C20th, where most historians are sent, she wants to be the first to travel back to the Medieval period. And she succeeds in her aim, but something isn’t quite right. No one can ever be entirely certain as to where or when a historian will end up. A certain amount of slippage always occurs. But in Kivrin’s case her tech falls ill and so her fate is even more uncertain.

Continue Reading »

Related posts

• The Sunne in Splendour (2)
• Time Traveller’s Wife (2)
• Time and Again (5)
• The Last Light of the Sun (0)
• The Dragon Waiting (0)

Author: Morgan Llywelyn
ISBN: 0812574923 DDC: 813.54
See also: LibraryThing ;

Ned awoke with a start.
The atmosphere in the darkened cabin was warm and close, smelling of lavender wax and fresh linen.

Ned Halloran has just survived the sinking of the Titanic. Traumatised by the loss of life, including that of his parents, he returns home to Ireland. His older brother takes over the running of the farm and Ned is lucky enough to be sent to school. The school chosen for him is St. Edna’s, or Scoil Eanna, a secondary school set up by Padraig Pearse. There he becomes caught up by the nationalist feelings and teaching and becomes involved in the Easter Rising of 1916.

Continue Reading »

Related posts

• One Thousand White Women (0)
• The Sunne in Splendour (2)
• The Agony and the Ecstasy (7)
• Alias Grace (2)
• The thistle and the rose (0)

Author: Lynn Flewelling

1. The Bone Doll’s Twin
2. The Hidden Warrior
3. The Oracle’s Queen

DDC: Read with FantasyFavorites and FFSeries
See also: Lynn Flewelling’s LJ ; What we read ; Voracious Reader

As always the problem with reviewing a series of books is that you might give away plot points by accident, so I’m not really going to mention the plot at all.

In many ways this is fairly typical “epic” fantasy. We have a chosen one prophesied to save the world. Or at least on country. Evil usurpers in power not the rightful monarch. And of course the quest to regain the throne. But despite that aspect is actually quite a good read. Flewelling has her own twist on the cliché that makes it much more entertaining and interesting than others that follow the same general plot. Plus her characters actually have shades of grey, not just the black and white that makes going into battle against the evil ones so much easier for our heroes.

I really liked the gender twist. And the problems that Tobin/Tamir faced were well-written. Plus it made for a fresh take on the whole romance side of the book. But overall none of the characters really leapt off the page for me.

I was interested, but never really gripped by the plot either, so I’d have to say that it was an average enough read. Nothing I’d recommend to anyone.

Related posts

• Ptolemy’s Gate (2)
• Lireal (0)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (17)
• Goblin Quest (2)
• Witch Child (0)

Author: Jim C. Hines
ISBN: 0756404002 DDC: 813.6
Group read with FantasyFavorites
Book 1 in the Jig series.
See also: LibraryThing ; Jim C Hines’ Sff site ; Backcountry Musings ; Barbarienne’s Den

Jig hated muck duty.
He didn’t mind the actual work. He liked the metallic smell of the distillation room, where week-old blood and toadstool residue dried in their trays.

Jig is a goblin; a smaller than average, weaker than average goblin. This means he gets picked on a lot. He gets a bit of a raw deal most of the time. But that is the norm for most goblins, their fate is to live underground in their tunnels, fodder for any adventurous type that might come looking for treasure, or maybe to die at the hands of the neighbouring hobgoblins. An early death is a fairly usual end; the best to be hoped for is a quick one.

Continue Reading »

Related posts

• The Lies of Locke Lamora (4)
• Poison Study (3)
• Time Traveller’s Wife (2)
• Throne of Jade (2)
• The Briar King (0)