When I’m not at my part-time job, or doing work for graduate school, I write and I read. Voraciously.

Lately, due to time and interest, it’s just comic books and graphic novels; I’m the kind of person who prefers to get sucked in to a book, and read it in as few sittings as possible. It’s the best, purest way to maintain the experience, and comic books have the added benefits of a visual dimension, as well as the conventions of comic book length being approximately 22 pages. Stories have to be short and impactful; it’s no-frills storytelling, with a lot of motion. Novel-wise, I’m a big fan of George R.R. Martin, Haruki Murakami, Neil Gaiman, Herman Melville, Charles Bukowski, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Hunter S. Thompson; these are the worlds I like to get lost in. But when you’ve read all their books, and you have no recommendations from friends, what do you do while you wander through the stacks?

You judge a book by its cover.

It can be a great choice; you might find something you would have never considered before, all by virtue of an attractive cover. Each one – generally an illustration, painting, or arrangement of images – is a single visual representation of the book’s character, its delivery, and intent. Charles Bukowski’s Women, or at least the copy I have, is an illustration of a woman squatting to get her foot out of her six-inch heels. It’s very sparse, the colors are limited – themes of yellow, brown, red, and white – and it mirrors the aesthetic of Bukowski’s writing. When he describes something, it’s very raw and singular, just like the cover. It represents the outsider’s perspective, with a slightly voyeuristic angle. This design isn’t complicated or image loaded – with the exception of hinting at sex (the woman appears to be naked). This silhouette of a woman is a stand-in for women in general.

Moving on to a separate genre, epic fantasy, we have George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. The cover, depending on which version you have, hits on one of two themes; you have the traditional fantasy representamen, the Lone Hero Against The World, looking majestic on his dark brown steed as a castle smolders in the background. It’s painted, as most fantasy covers are, but the imagery plays to both genre expectations, which in turn cater to the demographic. In a way, this picture furthers an individualist agenda in fantasy writing, even though the book itself is concerned with the separate stories of multiple figures, massive amounts of political intrigue, and conflicts on a national level.  The more widely sold copy from later printings features the family crest of the central family, the Starks; a simple, elegant, historically inspired design of a wolf on its front legs. It calls to mind the exact period of time it’s based on – the Middle Ages of Europe –  and, in referencing the house crest, places central importance on the family as a whole, rather than a representative individual, or lone hero. While the first cover is more in line with fantasy tropes and expectations, the second cover is much more evocative of the book’s character and values.

There are many, many other book covers out there to analyze, but these are three that I enjoy very much, and provided for the sake of example.

-Brian

If you like fantasy or medieval lit and haven’t read George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, drop whatever you’re doing (including reading this post) and get to it. Martin’s series may be fantasy but it’s so intricate and detailed and realistic (and I mean that in the sense that the characters are flawed) I would say Martin is Tolkien’s successor.

Others agree, including HBO which is turning the series into a miniseries. These days Martin has been more interested in expanding his franchise and seeing the production of the show through than finishing his series (to my great aggravations) and we’re likely to see the show before the series ends. My initial decision is to not watch the series because I like how my mind has imagined the characters and the look. I like how Martin shared the series through words instead of camera and I have a feeling that the television adaptation will follow the rule of not being as good as the books. I imagine that I’d make the same decision if I were a Twilight fan (which I’m not). I’d want to finish the book and let it soak in before going to the movie —if I ever did go. I may someday see the movie but only if its good and only after I finish the series. Seeing it could expand my vision of the world but it could also ruin it for me.

I submit that seeing the movie or t.v. adaptation of a book series that you like risks ruining your vision of the entire world that you’ve learned to love and that can happen even if it’s a good movie or show. I’d be interested to see what others think on this and especially Alyssa Rosenberg if she’s out there.

It’s almost the end of November and as I’m chasing the elusive 50K for Nano (I’m almost there, well, another 5K and I will be) I doubt I’ll be able to fit in another book from my TBR pile. But, I had aimed to read 30% of all the books I read during this challenge to be from my TBR pile, and I have actually accomplished that. I only realised today that the challenge was to encompass both October and November and I had really only started it in November, but when I looked back on what I’ve read and counted my reviews, I found I had read 10 books in total out of which I posted 3 reviews for the Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge:

A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
A Grave Man by David Roberts

which makes 30% ish (well, a little less as 30% of 10 is 3.66 books. I can’t help calculating as I did an astrophysics degree that was basically all maths and physics for the first two years.)

But… when I looked back on the reviews I posted, what did I find but a review of A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin? Now that book has been on my TBR shelf for over a year, and since I finished reading it at the beginning of November this year, I guess it qualifies for the challenge! Yay! So that completes my Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge.

If feels really great to actually read books from my TBR shelf and I feel that I’ve actually accomplished something and that my book buying sprees aren’t all in vain. So thanks to Swapna of S. Krishna Books for hosting this wonderful challenge.

Segunda lectura oficial del Club de lectura que frecuento. He de decir que estaba ya en mi lista y que fue una suerte que fuera la más votada, si no aún seguiría en la cola.

Juego de Tronos es el primer tomo de los cuatro que hay editados en España, y de los teóricos siete que Martin ha planeado escribir de su saga de Canción de Hielo y Fuego. Este primer volumen recibió el  Premio Locus de 1997 en la categoría de mejor novela de fantasía, Premio Hugo de 1997 a la mejor novela corta La sangre del dragón y Premio Ignotus de 2003 en la categoría de mejor novela extranjera.

Normalmente no leo Fantasía, bueno me harto de leer a Pratchett, pero sin contar el Mundodisco, no leo fantasía, muy poca. La razón no es que no me guste, es que no encuentro cosas que llamen mi atención, o no estoy demasiado al día. Bueno es, cuando te llegan muchas voces sobre algún libro  o alguna saga, como en este caso, o como en el caso de El nombre del viento, que esta ya en mi montón de pendientes. Entonces me tiro de cabeza a la fantasía, y normalmente salgo satisfecho.

Martin nos presenta un mundo fantástico de estilo medieval, con toques mágicos y religiosos. La magia en este primer volumen es más bien escasa, y Martin se centra en ponernos en situación en cuanto al escenario de Los Siete reinos en el continente de Poniente. En este mundo de fantasía, las estaciones duran décadas, y hasta ahora han vivido en un verano de años, y se esta acercando el duro invierno… El continente de Poniente vive bajo el mando del Rey Robert, llamado el usurpador, de la casa de los Baratheon, y todas las casas que están bajo su reinado, viven en paz. Pero como sucede siempre en estos casos, alguien ambicioso intentara romper esa paz en beneficio propio.

La novela es muy extensa, 768 paginas, y es difícil hacer una reseña. Pasa absolutamente de todo en la novela y su lectura es muy adictiva, incuso si no te gusta la fantasía. Los personajes son increíbles, con unas personalidades muy marcadas y muy diferenciadas entre si, las familias de diferentes casas poseen todos rasgos diferenciales entre otras casas y sus caracteres son complejos y completos. En ocasiones, lo admito, me parecía estar ante un episodio de Dinastía ambientado en la edad media, pero vamos eso tampoco es nada malo, en esta novela, los entresijos familiares, las traiciones y las sorpresas, son un continuo en cada pagina. Las batallas están perfectamente narradas, así como los torneos, los consejos, las ejecuciones, traiciones, las vestimentas de los caballeros, los lugares, castillos, posadas, caminos y bosques. Las narraciones no se hacen pesadas y no caen en el detallismo extremo. La novela está organizada presentando en cada capítulo las vivencias de un personaje. De esta manera vamos saltando de un personaje a otro de manera que la lectura del libro es amena y rápida. Los personajes, que son todos los principales protagonistas, en este libro no hay un solo protagonista, si no varios al mismo tiempo, nos van narrando sus vidas, emociones, actos, luchas, fechorías, huidas y  todo lo referente a su persona y se van entretejiendo unos a otros de manera que la novela es una sola y continua historia.

La serie de Canción de Hielo y Fuego es todo un referente en el mundo de la fantasía, como lo es Tolkien y su Señor de los anillos, y no es de extrañar, a su alrededor se han fundado foros exclusivos en muchos países, clubes, paginas web, y hay toda clase de mercadotecnia y juegos de Rol, incluso se esta gravando un episodio piloto de Juego de Tronos, que no tardara en ver la luz. Canción de Hielo y Fuego es ya de culto, y tiene miles de lectores-admiradores en todo el mundo, es un fenómeno imparable y todo el que la lee, no hace más que admitir su grandeza.

La grandeza de Canción de Hielo y Fuego no radica en el marketing, así como sus ventas tampoco dependen de este, Canción de Hielo y Fuego esta envuelta en la calidad de su narración, y en la originalidad de su mundo, la serie bebe del boca-oreja para sus ventas, de las recomendaciones de amigos y blogs, amparadas por una calidad indiscutible.

]]> http://marissa1331.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/cose-da-fare-oggi/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:10:59 +0000 marissa1331 http://marissa1331.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/cose-da-fare-oggi/

Svegliarsi del tutto.

Fare pranzo.

Decidere se preferisco “Wish You Were Here” o ” The Dark Side Of The Moon” e morire un pò.

Rileggere e pubblicare la recensione del meraviglioso FridayNightLights.

Finire “Il Regno Dei Lupi” ed essere triste. Perchè mi sono scioccamente imposta di intervallare ogni libro di questa saga incredibile con un altro paio di libri. Che divorerò il doppio più in fretta del solito dunque. I Sette Regni mi mancano già.

E l’inverno sta arrivando. Stavolta è vero.

Iniziare, immediatamente dopo, “Orgoglio e Pregiudizio” (ve l’ho mai detto che finire un libro e iniziarne immediatamente uno nuovo è tipo la cosa che amo più al mondo insieme a mangiare fino a crepare?) e dargli una nuova chance. Dopo 15 anni se la merita.

Guardare FF. Recensirlo.

Doccia, trucco e parrucco.

Comprare in centro le scarpe vintage a 69 euro che ho visto e che sono fantastiche.

Cena e concerto.

Zombieland e nanne.

Quante cose farò di quelle elencate? Nemmeno la metà.

Intanto mi ascolto questa, però.

(che con questa uggiosa giornata novembrina ci sta benissimo)

So . . . um . . . sorry this is 2 days late.  I have a good excuse:  I’m stupid.

WARNING: I’m going to mention Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series while reviewing this book. I don’t want to. I am doing this only because I am convinced that nearly everyone under the age of 25 knows nothing about vampires except what she told them (or maybe they picked up a few things from watching “Interview With a Vampire”—like that Tom Cruise looks weird with red hair). Thus, they expect me to draw the comparison when I am writing about other books containing vampires. The following is my mention of her series, and the expected comparison:

Fevre Dream is what Stephenie Meyer would have written if she was writing about a man, thought vampires should be interesting, and was actually a good author.

That said, let us move on to the review of Martin’s work.

It’s nearly guaranteed that you’ve heard of George R.R. Martin, even if you don’t know that you’ve heard of him. He made a name for himself as an award-winning short story author, and was a writer for the popular television series “Beauty and the Beast” in the 1980’s, and is now working on the 5th installment in a grand fantasy epic series called A Song of Ice and Fire, which led to his being dubbed, “The American Tolkien” by Lev Grossman in Time Magazine. (As a point of interest, Grossman himself has recently published a fantasy novel entitled The Magicians, which looks promising.) In a list compiled by Ross Lockhart (found in By Blood We Live) Fevre Dream is one of the books essential to the genre of vampire fiction.

In another words, I had high expectations for this book. I would say that I was pleasantly surprised to have those expectations met, but I wasn’t all that surprised. I’ve read Martin before. There was so much to enjoy about this book, but what I liked most was the thing that Martin is pretty famous for—his way of taking something traditional and adding a dark and inventive twist. Because this story does indeed contain all the elements of a traditional vampire tale, but with a distinctly Martin edge. Take, for example, that vampires are not undead humans in his story, but a completely different species. Take, for example, that it’s about a guy finding out about vampires, realizing there are good ones and bad ones, and getting involved in eliminating a bad one—but it’s all carried out on steamboats in the 1850’s around St. Louis. (When I started reading this book, my first thought was very simple: Vampires + Steamboats = ZOMG! Awesome!)

The best twisting of tradition that takes place is the same thing that makes Martin’s characters so absolutely real and believable and amazing. He really messes with heroic types. The main character is that typical reluctant hero who gets thrown into something bigger than himself completely by accident. But Abner Marsh is not exactly a young and handsome stud who treats ladies according to medieval codes of chivalry and kisses babies and puppies. He’s sort of middle-aged and ugly and has zero romantic attachment anywhere, although he’s a great steamboat captain and I would be a very loyal member of his crew as long as he promised I wouldn’t get eaten by vampires. Joshua York, the story’s other hero, is oh-so noble and brave: one of those heroes who must struggle against his own temptation and nature. Unfortunately, for a large portion of the book, he’s losing to someone more powerful and acting like a wimp. None of this is a complaint in any way, you understand. I say this because I think Martin has done something few writers do, and that’s create a story around real people with whom you can actually identify. He doesn’t have heroic archetypes, but true heroes.

The pacing is strange, but somehow perfect. There are moments of thrill and intense action (there’s even a scene where Abner has to jump off the boat into the river to escape! And a guy gets killed with a cleaver!) as well as poignant scenes that allow us to believe that the story’s two characters would really risk everything the way they do. There’s also a really weird break in action that lasts for several years, but only takes up a few pages of story, which strangely wasn’t at all disconcerting because it provided a welcome break to catch up on what he’d packed in before that.

True to the nature of my reviews, I give nothing away about the plot. I am here to tell you whether the book is worth reading, not to tell you what happens in the story and completely spoil the story. To that end . . . As much as I may gush about Martin’s ability—and about this story—I did have one complaint, and that complaint is the story’s villain, Damon Julian. He’s a little too villainous for me. Martin did manage to make him interesting, in that he is able to overpower everyone for a long time and is simultaneously bored by the whole thing—which gets you to imagining what else he’s capable of. But he’s purely bad, at least on the moral compass, and purely antagonistic. I have gotten very much used to Martin infusing his villains with complexity and moments of connection with the audience, and I didn’t feel that here. Julian is the enemy, and it’s just that simple. Maybe that’s okay, and I’m sure it’s okay with a lot of readers, especially in such a classic storyline as the vampire tale. I just felt like we could have used a moment in which Julian wasn’t entirely detestable. Except, maybe . . . Maybe that would have made the character inconsistent. In fact, it definitely would have made the character inconsistent. So I guess that was the right way to do it.

Man. Even when I try to criticise Martin, I can’t make it stick. Oh, wait, yes I can. Because toward the end of the story, I was pretty sure that if I read the phrase “pale king” one more time, I was going to put my own eyes out so I wouldn’t have to see it anymore.

Conclusion: This is a guy’s vampire story, in all its gory and action-packed goodness with only a minimal of waffling about emotions. And women will like it, too (take it from me, I am one)! You don’t even have to like vampire stories to like this one—the writing is just that good. Top of your list, please.

Before I talk about that thing that made me happy, a short recap of Armistice Day.

Today while the Queen was in Westminster Abbey, I was just down the square at Whitehall, outside the Red Lion, watching with hundreds of others as veterans were honored, especially those last World War I veterans who died earlier this year. The entire sweep of Whitehall and the government buildings – from the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office, right up to the Houses of Parliament – seemed choked with spectators and halted traffic. At the Cenotaph- where the Queen had laid wreaths on Sunday – there was a short tribute at eleven o’clock, and Cat and I hurried down from our office at ten minutes to 11 AM, pinning red poppies to our coats as we came out of Derby Gate.

That’s where we walked out of – the Red Lion pub is on the right.

There was a minute of silence at eleven o’clock. Everyone stood still out on the street – above us, people had leaned out of their office balconies to watch, cameras dangling from their wrists on grey cords. Everyone seemed to freeze (later on, another Hansard intern told me that he had walked into Portcullis House at precisely that moment, only to find everyone in the atrium frozen still, heads bowed), and as I looked around, I saw how huge the crowd was.

I only got part of it – and that required climbing up onto a ledge in a tunic and black tights. There were a lot of people out there.

The ceremony was all very solemn and very beautiful – and oddly moving. The silence broke after a moment and the sound of bagpipes filled the air. The sound was mournful and sort of bittersweet, punctuated by gun salutes that sounded like thunder. I kind of got caught up in the atmosphere, and felt heavy and sad at the memory of all the 20th century wars that were being remembered today – not just the Great War, but everything that had happened since. There were widows of soldiers who had died in Afghanistan out there, their dead husbands’ medals pinned to their jackets. And there were old veterans in wheelchairs, guarded by soldiers as they were honored.

Here are some pics.

That’s the Cenotaph, with “The Glorious Dead” written on it…in fact, here’s a closer look:

A wider view:

And the mounted guards:

So that was a rather emotional moment today, and felt very historic. As Cat said, “You kind of get a lump in your throat.”

And that thing that made me happy? That happened this evening.

I met George R. R. Martin. For the second time, but who’s counting? Even if I met him for the 100th time, I’d probably still dance with glee.

GRRM flew into London a few days ago from Belfast, Ireland, where the filming of A Game of Thrones is taking places – they’re moving to Morocco after this to film the Dothraki scenes (YAY HORSES WOOO). This evening he was signing books at Forbidden Planet near Tottenham Court Road, and I got off work early to catch the tube and make it to the comic book megastore in time.

I got there half an hour early, but apparently that wasn’t enough! The queue was already stretching, so I patiently stood in line for an hour, with my bladder bursting, but it was worth it. I was ushered in front of GRRM, who was very jovial and friendly despite the fact that he probably had a wrist ache. I told him I’d met him in Carmel, Indiana three years ago, and he said he vaguely remembered that event.

“We’re a long way from Indiana now,” he observed, as he signed my copy of A Clash of Kings.

“Yes, we are,” I said, beaming at him.

“Well, I’ll see you again – who knows where, probably Australia next!” And he handed the book back to me and I tottered out painfully (I’d been wearing my heels for close to ten hours), glowing delightedly and thinking about the toilet, when suddenly I realized – I had forgotten to take a picture! Even though my camera was on my wrist! Quick, must find Forbidden Planet employee!

“Oh, go on then,” said an employee, taking pity on me. The queue had become ten times as long and it was moving very slowly, so I was very lucky that I got back in for a picture. The employee said, “George, this young lady forgot she had her camera. Could we have a quick picture?”

“Sure,” GRRM smiled at me and I stood next to him, and the camera flashed.

I got the picture and the autograph and I saw him again and just YAY! So totally YAY!

Oh, and after that was over, I tried to run desperately across the street to the first restaurant I could find – as it turns out, a Punjabi restaurant – to use the toilet. It was an upscale restaurant so it had quite posh toilets, which was very nice. I also took the opportunity to massage my feet. Agony. Just agony.

I wish GRRM had done a Q&A session like he did when he came to Indiana, but he didn’t seem to have that time today, and Forbidden Planet definitely didn’t have the room to hold the hundreds of people who had come to see George R. R. Martin. Shame really, because the Q&A session in Carmel, three years ago, was quite cozy and nerdy and very nice. I even got to ask him a question back then. I had wanted to ask him questions now too, but I only got in that one question about the filming (how much was left – he said 10 days) and then I was forced to move along. The queue was just far too big.

Still, was a wonderful geek moment.

Ho appena finito “Ecco la storia” di Pennac.

Libro particolare, ingarbugliato e un pò folle. Come me in questo periodo

Tra tutte una citazione

“scriviamo per farla finita con noi stessi, ma con il desiderio di essere letti, non c’è modo di sfuggire a questa contraddizione. E’ come se annegassimo urlando <<Guarda mamma, so nuotare!>>.

E sì. Vorrei davvero essere come un albero corallo.

Adesso cmq faccio la cosa più bella del mondo.

Ascolto innanzitutto questa canzone poi …

inizio subito un altro libro. Un libro che mi porta in un mondo fantastico. Sette Regni.

L’importante che non sia qui, ora.

E torno nel mio silenzio.

“L’inverno sta arrivando”.

]]> http://chasingbawa.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/a-game-of-thrones-by-george-r-r-martin/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:31:45 +0000 chasing bawa http://chasingbawa.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/a-game-of-thrones-by-george-r-r-martin/

The last few years have been really great in the fantasy genre for me, what with my discovery of Scott Lynch, Steven Erikson and now George R.R. Martin. I was expecting my attempt to read A Game of Thrones to be a slow one, mainly because I tried reading it earlier in the year and didn’t get very far. I think my mind was on other things plus I had just finished reading Erikson’s amazingly rich Gardens of the Moon, and sometimes this happens. And did I mention that it’s a whopping 900 pages of a doorstopper?

But I’d read so many great things about his series, A Song of Ice and Fire of which A Game of Thrones is the first book, and heard about all the fans waiting patiently (and some not so patiently) for his latest installment which is apparently a few years late (give the guy a break people, creativity cannot be turned on like a tap!)

A Game of Thrones is set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, populated by a host of characters from the naive to the ruthless, the good and upright to the cruel and evil, and all are engaged in a tapestry of violence from trying to keep the peace and doing the right thing to grabbing power with a vengeance. The world is that of high fantasy, medieval in its day to day detail, but the beauty and strength of Martin’s story is in his characters. This is a human story filled with longing, fear, love and lust. There is revenge, there is honour and there is betrayal. There is family, normal and twisted, there is humour and there is a sense of the bittersweet and inevitable.

In A Game of Thrones we meet the Starks and Tullys, who rule the North and the Wall which keeps out the unknown and the cold, the Baratheons, who rule the Seven Kingdoms married to the Lannisters who are beautiful and hungry for power, and finally the Targaryans, the last of the Dragon Kings, of which only a crazed prince and his beautiful sister survive.

This is a robust and complex book, but once you start reading, I guarantee that you will be hooked. Like me, you will learn to care about each character, shy away from the evil and cruel, cheer the weak and cornered and pray that those who need love find it. I developed a soft spot for the direwolf cubs who belong to each of the Stark children and guard them with their lives. I want one too!

I can’t wait to read the next in the series, A Clash of Kings, and am eagerly awaiting the HBO pilot episode of A Game of Thrones

But in the meantime, I’m reading The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan on my Sony e-book.

George R R Martin’s Game of Thrones TV series has finally begun filming, and I’m excited and cringing at the same time.

Okay, to explain where I’m coming from… If you’ve seen Rome, which is sort of an equivalent to this series in terms of production values, and the production group – HBO – but I have to say that many of the actors are of a much better calibre than Rome, anyway, back to my point. If you’ve seen Rome, you’ll know what I mean when I say there are moments of complete cringing. It could be a line in the dialogue here, or a gesture there, but sometimes you are ripped so forcibly from your tentatively shallow level of immersion that all of a sudden you realise you’re watching a bunch of guys prancing about in little dresses, taking themselves very seriously…

It’s not like that all the time, and I think Deadwood didn’t quite have this going so much as Rome – again, made by same group, HBO – but I’m still very highly aware of the fact that that just because these are great books, doesn’t mean they’ll make a great TV series… Can you imagine watching some of the stuff that happens in that book in the form of a TV show? I’m concerned I’m going to feel like I’m watching a school play the whole time. The seriousness of whether or not Jon will be allowed to go and join the Night’s Watch or not… yeah, goodness me I hope all the actors really do this well, and that the sets work and everything.

So far all the filming has been completed in Scotland, at Doune Castle in Scotland to be precise, which is where they shot all the scenes that took place in the courtyard of Winterfell. Next they move onto Paint Hall Studio in Belfast which is where everything will be shot, except the stuff that’s supposed to be happening in Pentos and all that, which is being shot in Morocco.

So yeah, I respect many of the actors involved in this, but still feel like I’ll be wearing a grimace throughout the entirety of the first episode.

This is the first book in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series by American novelist George R. R. Martin. It has more “real elements” than your usual fantasy book. The politics revolving around the throne of the kingdom is the main setting. The fantasy theme rears its head slowly and promises much more than it delivers.

Published in 1996, this book sold a lot of copies and has 7791 readers in librarything.com. One of the things that struck me most about the book is its logical structure – on the basis of characters, very much like the television series “Lost.” The story is told in third person, focusing on a character at a time. And there are good characters – characters which leave a taste of their personality with you. My favorite – Tyrion Lannister, a misshapen, short son of a powerful Lord. He is nicknamed the Imp and gets away with sarcasm due to his short strature. People mock him, he mocks himself while taking snide jabs at everyone else.

An interesting thing about the origin of the book (from Wikipedia):

Martin worked mainly in Hollywood, principally as a writer or producer on The New Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast. After Beauty and the Beast ended in 1989 Martin returned to writing prose and started work on a science fiction novel called Avalon. In 1991, whilst struggling with this story, Martin conceived of a scene where several youngsters find a dead direwolf with a stag’s antler in its throat. The direwolf has several pups, which are taken by the youngsters to raise as their own. Martin’s imagination was fired by this idea and he developed it into an epic fantasy story, which he envisaged as a trilogy consisting of the books A Game of Thrones, A Dance with Dragons and The Winds of Winter.

The transition from a scene about a dead direwolf to an 800 page novel is stunning.

Martin holds no punches in his book. You won’t find any romance in the book. Instead, you have frank, old-fashioned sexuality, incest, rape, etc.  In fact, bastards play a crucial role in the book.

The plot is gripping, you do want to know what is going to happen next to the character when a chapter finishes. I’ve already started on the second book in the series, let us see how that goes.

I pilfered this from someone’s icon on a blog.  This is, of course,  a reference only fans would get. Oh… and the HBO thing:  They are starting to film the pilot.

I jumped right from A Game of Thrones to A Clash of Kings, Book 2 of “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin.  Once again I listened to the unabridged 36+ hour audiobook read masterfully by Roy Dotrice.  The book unapologetically picks up right where the first book left off, with very little in the way of recap. What else would happen to the Starks, the Lannisters?  How would Daenerys and her newborn dragons play a part?  Or John Snow up in the frozen north?  Most improtantly…

…is it a worthly continuation of the series?

LIKED

Perspectives.  I like the fact that not every main character is a king or queen.  Rather than have Cersei Lannister or Rob Stark, major influencers in the world, as narrative characters, the book introduced two new narrative characters, in Davos Seaworth the Onion Knight and Theon Greyjoy.  Seeing the events of the Battle of the Blackwater unfold from an unrespected smuggler-turned-knight’s perspective, rather than from a great commander like Stannis Baratheon, makes the novel much more interesting.

Unknown Future.  Because of the genre and the epic feel of the tale, people often refer to Martin and Tolkien in the same breath.  But when you read the first 50 pages of The Lord of the Rings, you know where the characters are ultimately going to end up.  You know where Roland of Gilead has to end up at in the Dark Tower series.  In this series, I have no idea where things are headed.  Given that this is Book 2 of a seven book series, I’m more than okay with that, as long as the story remains engaging.  As I read further I would expect to see some foreshadowing of that, but at this stage it’s refreshing to not have a clue what’s around the next corner.

NOT SO MUCH

Cheap Turns of Events.  Without revealing too much for those who have yet to read the book, the way two events unfolded in the narrative cheapened their plotlines.  In both instances, events were drawing to their inevitable conclusions, only to be completely reversed in the final moments.  It hearkens back to the first novel, and the events surrounding Eddard Stark at the Great Sept of Baelor.  Surprising the reader with an unexpected turn of events should rarely happen, and only if skillfully done.  In this novel, I felt as though I was reading an Agatha Christie novel, and was told that the murderer was the butler’s daughter, who was barely mentioned and not even a suspect.  I hope future novels don’t continue the trend.

Chapter Structure (Again).  I said previously that while reading A Game of Thrones that I felt a little cheated by the chapter structure.  I still feel that way in this book, though perhaps I’ve come to expect it.  I still feel a bit too led along by the author, which pulls me out of the book.  For instance, when the focus of novel turned towards The Battle of the Blackwater, the story shifts only to that, and chapters told from the perspective of the three people in the area.  For quite awhile, the story bounces between these three characters, and all other plotlines are set aside, until things reach a dramatic peak, and then we’re shifted off somewhere else with little explanation.  Don’t get me wrong:  I understand this is part of the storytelling structure and the author’s dramatic license.  I just think it feels a little ham-fisted.

RECOMMEND?

My interest never waned throughout the story, although I thought some of the pacing was off from the first novel.  Some of the main characters (Sansa, Catelyn) were less developed this time through, but the stronger ones (Tyrion, Arya) continue to shine.  I’m not sure I liked it as much as the first novel, but it’s a strong followup.  I’m definitely going to continue reading the series, though I might take a slight detour to read another thing that was just recently released.  More on that in a few weeks, I hope.

I just started an online creative writing class through MCC: Write Like a Pro.   The class covers story and plot structure.   Hopefully it will help me organize my ideas and get started.

I am realizing that CREATIVE writing is my strength.  Witty and snappy commentary on real life is not my forte.  (I think I knew this all along, though.)  In reading the website comments of one of my favorite authors, George R. R. Martin, I noticed his every word did not shine with brilliance.  I would not imagine reaching his level but l can see how one can excel at one kind of writing and not another.

I will let everyone know what I think of the class as I plod along.  So far, so good.

A note on Martin:  If you are a fan of fantasy, I would suggest picking up his A Song of Ice and Fire series.  His characterization is top notch and his villians are down right dispicible.   I have never read an author that has been able to completely suprise me with such brutal plot twists as he.  In his barbaric world, no character is ever safe.  I heard on the “interwebs” that HBO picked up the rights to the books and a super-miniseries is in the works.

Welcome to Unknown Stars, a new Design Blog under Headless Hydra Games. This is basically my first venture into the Sci-fi/cyberpunk genre. With this blog, I hope to create the foundation for a new futuristic urban setting.

I’ve not always been a great fan of science fiction. Most of the time, the genre seems too fixated on technology and strange terms that the reader hardly understand. I constantly find myself rereading certain phrases to understand what is happening and that slows down the story considerably. Of course, not all sci-fi/cyberpunk books are like this. The first time I realized this, I was reading Stephen Donaldson’s first two books in the Gap Series. These stories are very character-driven, something that I really appreciate. There is lots of technology, of course, but its not constantly the center of attention. I was captivated.

The next book I read that inspired me was Deborah Christian’s Mainline. The strange story of a female assassin named Reva who could travel through various realities. I had to read the beginning a few times, to fully understand it, but after that, I was truly hooked. This book serves sci-fi in a very different package, and that package really intrigued me.

Since then, I’ve read many great stories by such master as Harlan Ellison, Theodore Sturgeon, Lester Del Rey, Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Holdstock, George R R Martin and many others. I still find myself bogged down by the technology aspect, but not as much as in the beginning.

To return to the beginning.

With this blog, I hope to create the foundation for a new futuristic urban setting. I have a few ideas already, but they are just scattered thoughts so far, not really anything to build on. In the coming days and weeks, I’ll return to the Unknown Stars blog, and explain some of my ideas a bit further.

Next up; Sci-fi or cyberpunk? Whats the difference, if any? 

Para mi es siempre un placer hablar de esta literatura en Invernalia. Aún me queda por leer el libro cuarto, Festín de Cuervos, (el quinto, sexto y séptimo, aún no están disponibles al público) pero ya puedo garantizar, que de los tres primeros libros, este es sin duda, el más enredado de la saga de George R.R. Martin. Tormenta de Espadas se publicó en Estados Unidos en el año 2000, pero no fue hasta  junio de 2005 que se publicó en España. Esta novela estuvo nominada al premio Nébula de 2002 como Mejor Novela y fue la primera de la saga en estar nominada al premio Hugo de fantasía y ciencia-ficción en 2001 pero finalmente recayó en Harry Potter y el cáliz de fuego. Sí que ganó los premios Locus de 2001 y Geffen de 2002.

Cubierta de Tormenta de Espadas

Para George, no es ningún problema invertir las líneas argumentales de un momento a otro y mucho menos, los actos de sus protagonistas. Impactante, escandalosa, sorprendente, portentosa, y completamente imprevisible es esta Tormenta de Espadas. En más de una ocasión, me quedé impresionado, en un estado desalentador debido a lo que estaba leyendo y a medida que lo seguía, me preguntaba una y otra vez cómo terminaría todo. Y como era de esperar, sabiendo cómo se entornaba la cosa a mitad del libro, sabía perfectamente que el final no iba a ser para menos. El final tendría que ser igual de asombroso y repentino. Y así es, como ocurre con Juego de Tronos, y Choque de Reyes, en el momento que terminas de leer Tormenta de Espadas, estas deseando hacerte con el siguiente volumen, Festín de Cuervos.

Habiéndome recorrido más de un centro comercial y docenas de tiendas, no he encontrado  el cuarto libro. Así que tendré que encargarlo o comprarlo por internet. Y las ganas de tenerlo en mi poder, van aumentando.

Tormenta de Espadas, si bien es el libro más complejo de todos (por ahora) es también el más largo. Motivo por el cual, diversas editoriales, decidieron dividirlo en dos tomos (en el caso de Francia, en tres). Dichos tomos, se venden en conjunto. En el caso de España, dichos tomos, cada uno de más de 600 páginas, van juntos y el libro asciende a la cantidad de 32, 50 euros. Para los seguidores atrapados en esta trama, no nos importa ningún precio. De hecho, cada libro, tiene también su edición de lujo, una edición de coleccionista que cuesta el doble que las ediciones normales y en mente tengo el comprármelas. Son ediciones muy elegantes y estilosas.

Jon Nieve y Fantasma

Pero, ¿qué nos encontramos en Tormenta de Espadas para que sea tan impresionante? Pues bien, ya que un servidor odia leer un artículo y encontrarse de sopetón con spoilers, voy a explicar un poco como es el trayecto de esta obra y más adelante, hablaré en profundidad y recomiendo que sólo lean ahí gente que haya leído el libro.

Como todos los lectores de Canción de Hielo y Fuego saben, los principales protagonistas son Arya, Catelyn, Robb, Jon, Daenerys, Sansa, Tyrion, pero en esta tormenta formarán parte importante en la historia, personajes que pasaran a ser principales, como Samwell Tarly, Bran, Davos e insospechadamente, Jaime Lannister, un personaje que cobra muchísima fuerza y protagonismo donde nos muestra su lado más profundo y confiesa el por qué de algunos actos cometidos con anterioridad.

Pero no sólo los personajes principales volcarán la historia. Tenemos a personajes secundarios como Meñique o Theon Greyjoy que provocarán sobrecogedores episodios venideros.  Estos personajes nos darán una visión más clara de lo acaecido y desencadenarán una serie de circunstancias que harán que la aventura sea más turbadora.

George Martin se centra como siempre en un personaje por cada capitulo y nos sumerge de lleno en las vivencias personales de éste.

Tormenta de Espadas queda pues, como la culminación de esta magnífica obra literaria. La adicción está asegurada.

AVISO IMPORTANTE: SPOILERS. A partir de aquí, es conveniente que aquellas personas que no hayan leído el libro, dejen de leer.

El libro me ha encantado. Hay cosas que deseaba/esperaba antes de leerlo y no aparecieron pero otras cosas no las suponía y me han sorprendido gratamente. Una de las cosas que más esperaba era la aventura de Bran, que no es mi personaje favorito pero si al que le tengo más cariño. En la novela, se pasa todo el día viajando y metiendose en la piel de Verano e intentando abrir su tercer ojo. Pero no ocurre nada transcendental, quizás la parte de Bran que más emoción tiene, es el final, con el encuentro de Manos Frias. ¿Quién sera ese oscuro y extraño personaje? ¿De dónde proviene? ¿Cuáles son sus intenciónes?. Habrá que esperar a Festín de Cuervos para saberlo.

Arya, Jaime, Jon y Tyrion sin duda, son los que personajes que más protagonismo toman, y personalmente, Jon, mi personaje favorito, vuelve a deleitarme con sus hazañas, sobre todo en El Muro, dónde muestra ser un verdadero hijo de Eddard Stark. Valiente, incansable pero también tierno,  una faceta nueva de Jon Nieve. Si ya bien demostraba ser dulce y amable con Arya en su estancia en Invernalia, con la salvaje Ygritte, comprobamos que no todo es de hielo en los Stark. Jon, a las ordenes de Mediamano, debe infiltrarse en los salvajes, conocer sus cometidos e intentar matar a su líder, Mance Ryder.

Resaltar una vez más, la gran batalla en El Muro entre los pocos caballeros negros que quedan y el líder salvaje Mance Ryde y sus centenares de acompañantes,  mamuts cabalgados por gigantes y ese maldito cuerno que tiene atemorizados a los capas negras. Ese cuerno que cuando suena, derriba hasta la última roca helada de la gran obra de Brandon El Constructor, El Muro. Pero ahí estubo Jon, y se hizo con él justo cuando en plena batalla, llegaron los jinetes de Stannis Baratheon.

Jon en El Muro

Otro pasaje de Tormenta de Espadas que me ha gustado mucho, es la historia entre Jaime Lannister y su escolta Brienne de Tarth. Brienne, una moza fea a dolor, es la encargada de escoltar a Jaime a Desembarco del Rey para intercambiarlo por Sansa y Arya Stark. Ambos se enfrentan en el viaje a los famosos Tirititeros Sangrientos, cuyo líder, Vargo Hoat, amputa la mano derecha de Ser Jaime, dejandolo practicamente inútil para la batalla. A partir de aquí, el cambio en la personalidad de El Metarreyes, es sobrenatural. De un carnicero sin escrúpulos, nos encotramos con un hombre con principios y determinación, y que de vez en cuando, demuestra tener bondad además de un honor implacable.

Lo más impactante. La Boda Roja sin duda alguna. Como todos sabemos, Robb renunció a casarse con la hija de Lord Frey, y éste como era normal en esa época, se lo tomó a mal, era un desprecio horrible el rechazar a una dama de una casa importante y más cuando ya se había pactado. En plena batalla, Robb necesitaba el apoyo de la casa Frey, pero ideó un plan para aplacar dicha deshonra: casar a su tio Edmure con una de las hijas del viejo Lord Frey, Roslin, una bella muchacha cuya belleza sorpendió a Catelyn, ya que ésta creía que Lord Frey, presentaría a la peor de sus hijas debido al desprecio perpretado por Robb con anterioridad.

En plena boda y en mitad de un baile ensordecedor, los músicos se convierten de un momento a otro en soldados, y cambian sus instrumentos por espadas, arcos y ballestas y matan a todo el mundo presente. Aquí ya me temía lo peor y así fue. Un soldado, vestido con los colores de los Bolton, mata a Robb Stark gritando que Jaime Lannister le envía recuerdos. Catelyn, presa del dolor y el pánico, mata a unos de los hijos de Lord Frey, lo que provoca que un soldado le corte el cuello para posteriormente tirar su cuerpo desnudo al rio. De esta peculiar boda, sólo sobreviven dos norteños, lady Maege Mormont y lord Galbart Glover, que Robb había enviado a La atalaya de aguasgrises para forjar una alianza con lord Howland Reed y así poder llevar a cabo su plan de atacar foso Cailin.

Catelyn

Ya me podía esperar cualquier cosa. ¿Catelyn y Robb muertos? WTF¿?

Arya me ha sorprendido mucho más en esta tormenta. Jamás imaginé que una niña de diez año pudiera tener tantas agallas. Arya y sus amigos se encuentran en su viaje con La Hermandad sin Estandartes y liderados por lord Beric Dondarrion y el sacerdote rojo Thoros de Myr,  cuya misión consiste en defender las tierras de los ríos de los señores de la guerra. Dicho grupo, da con Sendor Clegane y debido a los multiples asesinatos de éste, lo condenan a un jucio por combate. Sendor tendrá que luchar contro Beric, donde éste cae muerto para posteriormente ser resucitado por el mismisimo sacerdote rojo. Arya se cansa de seguir a la Hermandad y es capturada por Sendor Clegane cuya intención es devolverla a Robb con la intención de que éste le conteste con algun que otro favor. El viaje de Sendor y Arya me ha gustado bastante. Ambos intentando sobrevivir de manera ardua hasta llegar casi de improvisto a la Boda Roja. Dónde que Arya, en un sueño profundo donde era Nymeria, ve a su madre muerta en el río. ¿Que será de Arya en Festín de Cuervos? Deseo con ansias saberlo.

Mi preciosa Daenerys ha reunido un ejercito que se caga la perra, pero aún no ha dado la caña que seguramente dará. La chica más guapa de esta saga, ha sido traicionada varias veces, y la traición que más le dolió, la de Ser Jorah, aquel que decía que la amaba. Dany, sus tres dragónes, y su bastísimo ejercitio, estan preparados para dar guerra, mucha guerra, ¿para cuándo? Pronto lo sabremos. Pero ella es la madre de dragones, hija del fuego, la que no arde, y ocupará el trono que le corresponde…seguro.

Un personaje que me ha gustado de sobremanera es Davos Seaworth. Tras casi perder la vida en la batalla del Aguasnegras, es arratsrado por las olas hasta una isla donde lo encuentra un banderizo de Stannis Baratheon que lo lleva de vuelta a Rocadragón. Tras intentar matar a Melissandre, Stannis lo encarcela, pero debido a la gran amistad que los unía, Stannis decide liberarlo y nombrarlo su mano. Este gesto me sorprendió mucho. Davos, de prisionero a Mano del Rey de la noche a la mañana. ¿Veis que con George no te puedes esperar nada? Es todo una cadena de asombros. Melissandre esta obsesionada en sacrificar el bastardo del difunto Robert Baratheon, Edric Tormenta, para asi resucitar a los dragones de piedra que decoran Rocadragón. Practicamente lo que hizo Daenerys en Choque de Reyes consus tres hijos dragones. ¿Lo consegirá? ¿Consegirá despertar a los dragones? No lo sabemos, pero lo que si sabemos a ciencia cierta es que a costa del sacrificio de Edric no va a ser ya que el bueno de Davos lo ayuda a escapar mietiéndolo en un bote y llevándoselo lejos de las manos de Stannis. Davos lo confiesa todo delante del Rey y Melissandre a lo que es condenado a muerte por traidicón, pero antes, éste le pide un favor a Stannis y es leerle una carta llegada del Muro a lo que el rey asiente.

Stannis Baratheon

Sansa, humillada hasta la saciedad, para más deshonra, la obligan a casarse con Tyrion Lannister el cual la trata muy cortesmente, algo que dice mucho de él. No es un Lannister cualquiera.

Joffrey muerto, envenenado en el día de su boda con Margaery, cuya culpa recae sobre Tyrion, cuyo hermano, Ser Jaime es el único que lo cree, por lo tanto ayuda a escapar al gnomo no antes sin que éste mate a su propio padre Lord Twyn Lannister mientras éste defecaba tras haberle hechado un polvo a la novia puta de Tyrion.  Meñique, verdadero autor de la muerte del niño Rey, viaja con la rescatada Sansa al Nido de Águilas para casarse con Lady Lysa. La hermana de Catelyn, enloquece al ver a Meñique besando a Sansa, y por ello, intenta matarla, pero reaparece en escena Meñique, para arrojarla Lady Lysa al vacío y hecharle las culpas a Marllion, su juglar. ¡DIOS! ¿Qué más?

Pues si, hay más. Al final, en el epílogo: Merrett Frey acude a un parlamento con la Hermandad sin Estandartes, que tienen cautivo a uno de sus hermanos y exigen un rescate. Pero la Hermandad le revela que han ejecutado a su prisionero por estar presente en la Boda Roja y por ayudar a matar a los invitados. El Frey exige que prueben sus acusaciones con algún testigo y entonces aparece una figura misteriosa que lo señala. Frey es colgado junto con los cadáveres de su familia mientras la resucitada Catelyn Stark los observa con puro odio en su mirada. (fuente:Wikipedia)

¡Catelyn esta viva! ¡Viva, y muy cabreada!

Y esto evidentemente no es todo. Aún queda mucho por ver. ¿Qué encontraremos en el próximo libro? Ya lo descubriermos, aún hay que leerlo entero para saberlo.

Un saludo.

Álvaro R.

Sagan fortsätter…
Jag funderar om man kan läsa en av berättelserna i A Storm of Swords i ett svep, och (tillfälligt) hoppa över de andra? Just nu tycker jag att Aryas historia är så spännande att jag nästan inte står ut att vänta på fortsättningen när jag läser om Davos, Tyrion, Danys, Catelyn, Jaime, Sansa, Jon, Samwell, ja till och med min lille favorit Bran.
(Detta är tredje delen efter den här och den här.
UPPDATERING: Detta är skådisarna i den kommande HBO-serien.
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Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om A Song of Ice and Fire, A Storm of Swords, G R R Martin, Arya, fantasy, Bran, Jon Snow

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Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om böcker, bokinköp

(Vaguely spoilery for A Song of Ice and Fire.) I’m always on the lookout for new fantasy series, preferably of books that go beyond the usual cliches. I’ve read enough about elves, dwarves, swords, sorcery and dragons to last me a lifetime, and gritty, urban vampire-werewolf crime-fighting only held my attention for a few months before I realised how appalling most of the writing was and how difficult it was to find ‘urban fantasy’ that wasn’t Anita Blake-style paranormal romance. I still hold a great deal of affection for Celtic and historical fantasy, but it’s usually so sweet-natured (unless written by Sara Douglass) that after a while I feel like I’ve overdosed on toffee and caramel.

So this summer I thought I’d try out George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. I’m surprised it took me so long. I first became aware of ASoIaF (there’s a clunky abbreviation!) when Jo Walton linked to a series of redesigned fantasy book covers, supposedly with titles that accurately described the books. ASoIaF was retitled ‘Knights Who Say Fuck’. This made me giggle a bit, but then I forgot the series again until Neil Gaiman made his infamous blog post berating a Martin fan who was getting impatient at Martin’s seeming inability to complete the series: ‘Look,’ wrote Gaiman, ‘George R. R. Martin is not your bitch.’ Martin was clearly a writer who aroused strong reactions (and, apparently, caused me to swear twice on this blog, something I try not to do). Then one of my friends on TRoH started reading the series and posting about it, and I knew it was time to do the same myself.

I adored it. So much so that I devoured all five books in about a week (and they devoured my bank account). I joined the legion of impatient fans desperate for Martin to overcome the writer’s block he’s been suffering while struggling to complete the sixth book, A Dance With Dragons, although, as a fan of Isobelle Carmody (who began her Obernewtyn series in the 80s and is yet to complete it) I’m a little more understanding than most.

But what is so special about ASoIaF? Isn’t it just another vaguely historical, swords and sorcery epic fantasy? There are dragons and a ‘dark power brewing in the North’, after all, but there the resemblance to paint-by-numbers epic fantasy ends. ASoIaF is loosely based on the Wars of the Roses, one of the most violent, fratricidal, betrayal-filled periods of English history. The thing that has always struck me about the Wars of the Roses was their pointlessness. It was as if the country went insane for 100 years, experienced an orgy of killing, intrigue and backstabbing until all of the original combatants were dead, and then a victor who had sat back and enjoyed the show climbed over the corpses to get the prize. The struggles left the country reeling, ruined and disoriented, although the deaths of so many of the nobility would lead to great social mobility and change.

In ASoIaF, however, we haven’t got to the end of the battles yet. Martin appears to be wrapping up one of his main arcs (involving his versions of the Yorkists and Lancastrians, the Starks and Lannisters) and moving on to another arc involving Daenerys Targaryen, the Henry Tudor figure. Readers who have stuck with the series for the first five books have been treated to thousands of pages of death, battle, torment and brutality. ASoIaF is certainly not for the faint-hearted or the weak-stomached. A friend of mine warned me before I began reading that Martin was not averse to killing off main characters, and that no character was safe. There were moments where I was on the verge of tearing the book up, I was so angry with the injustice of what Martin was putting his characters through.

But at the same time, that injustice and emotional manipulation is what makes the series so refreshing. Martin has broken one of the cardinal rules of epic fantasy: moral uprightness does not protect a character from death. In most other fantasy series of this style, if a character’s cause is just and he or she is a good person, he or she survives. At worst, a character might die heroically, knowing he or she has ushered in a newer, better order. Martin doesn’t treat his readers like escapist idiots. Good women are abused and murdered, protective mothers see their sons die before their eyes and even children travel across the country, tortured, taken advantage of, emotionally abused, only to have their every hope and dream dashed before their eyes. Most importantly, people who put honour and morality and compassion before reason suffer the logical consequences of a dishonourable, immoral and cruel world.

This is the absolute opposite of what normally happens in fantasy novels, where such people are rewarded for their positive qualities. Martin also doesn’t shy away from depicting the brutality of war. Every battle he describes is followed by pages of narrative outlining the suffering meted out to the unfortunate peasants who happen to live nearby the site of the battle. Martin’s choices show great respect for fantasy readers, who are often dismissed as soft-hearted, dreamy fantasists, people who read speculative fiction for ‘escapism’.

There’s no escape here. Readers looking for a nice story about elves and dragons, with black and white morality and glorious heroism will be sadly disappointed. Those who like their fantasy to provide a window into reality will feel right at home.

It’s been a long time since I’ve made a post, as date-checkers will see. I decided to start back up again just for the sake of ranting about how stupid people can be. Or I could actually be kidding. However, I did post two poems that I wrote last month. “Why poems?” you ask? Well, damnit, they’re easy as hell to write for one. For two, it’s the only thing that I’m regularly being forced to write due to one of my classes. “But Reid, you’re a writer! Shouldn’t you be writing all the time?” You make a good point alter ego, but alas, it’s hard to get motivated. Although, I’m hoping that writing in this daily will motivate me to at least post some revisions and snippets from the stuff I’ve been writing. Some prose stuff, I should say.

A quick update is in order I suppose. I’m still taking Japanese; I’ve started Creative Fiction and Colloquium this semester. I’m also taking Medieval British Literature, which is pretty interesting so far. Not necessarily because of the class, but my classmates. More importantly, the blog should have far less random tangents on emotions and philosophy and more on literature. My first post in this regard will more than likely be about either Martin’s series or Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind since both of these series’ will be coming out with a new book soon. I also read a book called High Bloods by John Farris, and I read Salvatore’s series about Drizzt. I read a few others over the summer and I won’t say that I’ve liked everything I’ve read so far, including the ones I mentioned, but it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve an alluring review and my opinion being shoved down your throats on the innuhnetz. Lastly, I have a few books that I haven’t gotten around to reading, some are pretty well known, and once I read them and collect my thoughts about them, I’ll post it up.

Well, that’s about it for now, I need to meet a friend for dinner and do that whole socializing thing. Just like the old times, thanks for reading
それじゃあまた明日

I have been following the development of the TV show based on George R R Martin’s A Game of Thrones for quite a while now – since last November.

All the main roles have been cast – more on that here, here and here

Mr Martin himself posted the following on his blog.

Ever since HBO first took out an option on A GAME OF THRONES — even before we got an actual production order — I’ve been getting emails from readers who desperately wanted to be a part of the production. “I’ll do anything!” some of you have written. ((Really, don’t say stuff like that. Really. Don’t.))

Well, now’s your chance. The call has gone out for extras. Details here:

http://www.extrasni.com/news

Of course, you need to be in Northern Ireland, or get yourself to Northern Ireland. They’re shooting this mostly in Belfast and environs.

And it would help to know horses. As you can see, their biggest need right now is for experienced male riders. (I imagine they could use some female riders too, though maybe not as many. And if not, hey, that’s why they invented false beards.)

What a shame I can’t ride a horse. If you apply let me know how you get on.

Shopping odierno.

Il Trono di Spade lo leggo per Cà. E per dimostrarvi che si, sono una snob. Ma lo sono con cognizione di causa. E cmq ho letto due pagine e so già che adorerò un cert tizio che non ricordo come si chiami

Orgoglio e Pregiudizio lo leggo per Bì. Perchè una seconda possibilità non la si nega a nessuno. E nessun “mai più” è definitivo. MAI.  Tranne uno per me. E chi ha capito sta già ridendo.

Infine Il Teatro di Sabbath lo leggo per me. Perchè Roth è un Dio. E le sue “parole mischiate” mi fanno impazzire sempre.

Enjoy (A me)