It would have been cheaper if I hadn't.

But it's not like he's ever going to finish writing them. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know how at this point, and the tv show gives him a nice easy exit.

I had that impression for a long time. Like with Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time books. After what, 200 or so of them it was plain that Jordan never intended to finish the series. That was his cash cow. But in the case of GRRM it appears he just never intends to write again, instead of stretching one story out over a thousand books.

I think you're final statement in err. GRRM seems to be cranking out ASoIaF spinoffs and supplements at a rapid pace, admittedly sometimes as collaborator rather than sole creator, as in the case of A World of Ice and Fire. Funny or not so funny thing about that book is that he contributed its inserts rather than the main text. Yet he himself states that once started he couldn't stop himself from creating vastly more text than could be included without making the book unpublishable. All this leads me to believe than Martin has not abandoned writing, nor have his creative juices ceased to flow. Which doesn't answer the question of why he doesn't get on with the primary series. <sighs>

It's as if he's burnt out on ASoI&F. He's enjoying doing the different stuff(like World), but when it comes to the main series it seems like he just lacks the motivation to finish it. The show stealing some of his thunder might have taken a bit of a toll on him also.

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. I started with A.C. Crispin's Han Solo Trilogy - The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn. After reading the first two books I read the old Lando Calrissian Adventures by L. Neil Smith. Then I went back to read Rebel Dawn. Now I am starting Brian Daley's old Han Solo Adventures - Han Solo At Star's End, Han Solo's Revenge, and Han Solo And The Lost Legacy. I basically tried to read them chronologically. Except that the Brian Daley trilogy takes place in the middle of Rebel Dawn. I decided to just finish that before going into Daley's books. Instead of stopping half-way through and finishing up Rebel Dawn afterward.

They have been fun, though not great. Both Crispin and Smith's books have a lot of technical issues that bring them down, most of all a preponderance of telling over than showing. The last Lando book also have a bit of Deus Ex Machina. But the stories are good, and the characters engaging. I have to give kudos to Crispin for how well she wove her novels around the events of the older books by Smith and Daley. They all fit together very well.

It was cool to see Lando on his own, and trying to make a go of it as a starship captain rather than a gambler (and failing!). We got to see Han Solo's first look at the Millennium Falcon (when it was owned by Lando). We learned by Han has such a dim view of 'hokey religions', were there when he won the Falcon in a sabacc game, was introduced to Jabba, met and lost the first love of his life, and had to dump that shipment of spice that got him in such hot water with the Hutt (and made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs while he was at it!).

At 2231 yesterday evening I concluded my fifth read of George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings, volume two of A Song of Ice and Fire. I debate continuing on with volume three or breaking from the series until I read at least one of the three political themed books I ordered off Amazon a few weeks ago.

At 2235 yesterday evening I finished one of several recently acquired US politics themed books, this one documenting the transformation(s) of one of the two major US political parties over the past some decades. Though I knew of overall gist of those changes beforehand, the book opened my eyes to several reasons behind those changes that I had not fully comprehended. I found it both fascinating and disheartening. The book's one major disappointment for me is that, while it is a recent publication it is not quite recent enough, carrying us only so far as the beginnings of last election's primaries.

Just read Agent Zigzag, one of the most insane books I've ever read. Utterly fantastic, enthralling, and impossible to put down

I finished Empire's End by Chuck Wendig. Now I know how Jakku turned into a graveyard of ships. Including that Super Star Destroyer that Rey and Fin flew through (The Ravager), and why it is upside down. The whole Battle of Jakku was very cool. As the title implies, the book closes the coffin lid on the Empire. It also gives us the seeds of the First Order. Even it's name. It also makes me wonder if Snoke is actually Palpatine resurrected. Though it is still possible that Snoke is a completely separate entity.

This one really hopes Snoke is not a resurrected Palpatine.

I hope not too. There is a part in the book that references a dark, malignant force outside of the galaxy. It is what the seed of the First Order was headed to. Most likely it was Snoke, or maybe it is a temple or world strong in the Dark Side. I wish I could find that section again.

Here it is:

I'm now on page 636 of A Storm of Swords, a Bran chapter that sees his little group finally reach the Wall and their meeting with... well, I best not reveal too much for those few who might not yet have become acquainted with the books/TV series. Speaking of which, I still find reading (or re-reading in my case) the novels after having watched the series a very worthwhile endeavor, after having feared the opposite.

Reading A Song of Ice and Fire has got me thinking on the other "great" epic fantasy series of our time, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. After being much talked about during its long creation, it seems to have quickly faded into obscurity. No one talks about it anymore. I'm a member of a dedicated Fantasy/Sci-Fi forum. No one discusses it there either. Yeah, those middle books are a turn-off for many, but interest picked up again when Sanderson took up the series following Jordan's death. For the most part he (Sanderson) did a bang-up job. I admit I was solely disappointed with the final novel, not for the standard complaint that Jordan's novels were too long, but because I feel that the last book is far too short to adequately resolve Jordan's many plots and sub-plots. It needs to be twice as long as it is, or be split between two novels, to say all that need be said. In any case I finished the novel/series feeling as if I'd been short-sheeted.

while I was enjoying the Sagas of the Icelanders, I've found myself drawn back to Raymond E. Feist's Magician. Love that book, and the two that follow it. I keep meaning to get more of his books, but I never manage to get around to it, only got those three and the Empire trilogy.

I finished Dawn of the Jedi: Into The Void yesterday. It was good. I liked the setting a lot. Rather than the usual Star Wars romps around the galaxy, the entire story is set in a single star system, that of Tython. In fact hyperspace travel beyond the system was practically impossible, due to the unpredictable spacelanes surrounding the planet. It is near the galactic core, so there would be a lot of black holes, neutron stars, etc.. The world itself was seeded by Thol Yor's - massive ships of alien construction - which none of the colonists really know how to use, much less who built them or brought their ancestors to Tython 10,000 years earlier.

It is pre-Jedi or Sith. Pre lightsabers. The force-users - known as Je'daii - live on the world of Tython, which is very dangerous place, given its vicious force storms (force lightning is a force of nature there!), and nasty predators that seem to unconsciously use the Force. Non-Foce users live on the other worlds the system, and travel between the planets can take weeks, if not months.

I would like to see more of this setting. But I think it was only used in the one novel and a mini-series of comics.

At 1212 this afternoon, April Fools Day 2017, I concluded my fifth read of A Storm of Swords, book three of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. I finished the main text three days ago. Took me all this time to get through the Appendix, a detailed listing of personnel associated with The Kings and Their Courts. It wasn't a lot of reading, but I don't have a mind that gears itself to dry listings of dates and/or things. Nor do I retain such info any length of time, interesting though it often is.

During Jamie's final visit to Tyrion's "holding cell", a reveal is make concerning an oft mentioned event in Tyrion's past. (I'll not be specific to avoid spoilers.) This reveal likely results in actions taken in its almost immediate aftermath. I can't for the life of me recall the reveal being included in the TV show. But my memory is notoriously unreliable. Was it?

Not sure if I'll start in on book four or take a break and read one or two recent literary purchases before returning to Westeros.

I decided to take a break from A Song of Ice and Fire and read a book recently ordered off Amazon, Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, 2015 edition. I had a vague knowledge of its existence but was never all that interested in it, figuring I knew the gist of pretty much everything in it, if not specifics. Then I found out my ever-glorious state is (was?) attempting to ban the book from being used in schools. That in and of itself made it an almost mandatory purchase. I've not gotten very far in it yet. The Christopher Columbus / natives section which opens the book held no shocking revelations for me, having learned what sort of person Columbus really was some time ago. Still, it makes for interesting reading, with details I had not known. I'm now reading about the very early years of US (and North American pre US) slavery. Here I knew some broad generalities but little else.

I'll say no more since it would be too easy for this to veer into political discourse. A worthwhile purchase.

I've done comparatively little reading lately. Switched from A People's History of the United States back to book four of A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm in the midst of a Cersei chapter at the moment. She gets a lot of chapters this volume.

I finished The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy today, by K.W. Jeter. I was not really impressed. Boba Fett and (by extension all Mandalorians) was always been one of my favorite characters. Or at least among the coolest in the Star Wars galaxy. But I did not really like Boba Fett in this. He is portrayed as being too sterile, emotionless, and just plain greedy. His motivation for everything is money. Money which he puts back into his trade by buying better weapons, gear, bribing contacts, etc... So it ultimately profits him as a person naught. I came away pitying him, because his life (at least in these books) is just an empty and utterly pointless cycle of violence.

I have to say, I much preferred the way Boba Fett was portrayed in The Clone Wars much better. He was just a kid then, but even as a child he was not only a capable bounty hunter, but an excellent leader as well. And he wasn't a dick about it either. He actually could work with other people, and they followed him because they respected him. In the Jeter books, Fett double-crosses everyone he works with. If you survive a job with him you are lucky, forget making any money from it. In these books, everyone who has ever met him, hates him.

Many of the other point of view characters were unlikable as well. But Dengar was ok. At least his motivations are solid. He is looking for that mythical last big score so he can pay his debts and get out of the bounty hunter trade for good. I did love how that all worked out for him, very unexpected, but in a good way. Zuckuss was likeable as well. But both he and Dengar as portrayed somewhat as doofuses by the author. I think to make Fett and one of the major antagonists - Bossk - look better by comparison. I don't think he really did the characters of Dengar and Zuckuss justice.

Bossk was cool in this. I cannot believe I am saying it, but I think he might actually be my favorite character in whole trilogy. He is the antithesis of Fett, being all passion and spur of the moment action. He is definitely a bad guy. But very good at being one. Throughout the entire book he is one-upped by Fett. Until the very end, when he finally gets his just desserts. I have to admit, I almost cheered for him when he did. He deserved a win.

The plot was not much either. It was really stretching things. All in all, it was a pretty unimpressive series of books.

I'm still plowing my way through A Feast of Crows, on page 288/9, a Brienne chapter. The more I read, the more I realize the extent GOT TV series attempts to "soften" Cersei, who in the books has no admirable qualities whatsoever, physical beauty aside. (Rather, the few admirable qualities she possesses are used to ill intent.) Traits normally considered pluses, such as devotion to her children, morph into something abhorrent.

Back to something mentioned earlier, the reveal Jamie makes to Tyrion in the King's Landing "holding cell". That, and the lie Tyrion tell Jamie afterwards, is of such import to the brother's relationship I wonder more of more if the TV show, which didn't include it, plans to stick it in later on (seasons 7 or 8)?

Books I have finished this year-

Mistress of the Empire (Raymond E Feist)

Jack the Ripper (Robert House)

Deviant (Harold Schechter)

Eyes of Darkness (Dean Koontz)

The Crucifix Killer (Chris Carter)

The Running Man (Stephen King)

Prince of the Blood (Raymond E Feist)

Spartan Gold (Clive Cussler)

Next on the list-

The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)

Star Cross (Raymond Weil)

Alive for now (Bob Howard)

Just finished reading "Guards, Guards!" and it was the dragon in that which steered me back to playing Skyrim - and then the series made me select Ghenghiz Cohen as the new character.

I'm trying to ration my reading, as the late Sir Terry won't be adding any more, so #9 of the series hasn't even been downloaded onto my Nook yet. I don't know how long I can hold out, though.

The last post in the thread titled "What are you reading?", in the General Discussion section of the Chorrol.com forums, redirected from http://www.chorrol.com/

At 2225 yesterday evening, May Day 2017, I concluded my initial reading of Our Revolution by Sen Bernie Sanders. I read a chunk of it earlier this year, only to set it aside when the urge to return to Westeros became to strong to resist. The first part of the book documents his candidacy during our recent US presidential primary, along with a relatively brief glimpse at his life up to that point. His take on the primary held no shocking revelations for me, having followed it both during and after the fact. If anything I know more about it than Sanders chooses to reveal here. The rest of the book is devoted to his "platform". This was of more interest to me, as it provides a great deal more in-depth analysis on what he sees at the major issues currently facing the Nation and our world, along with how he would rectify them, than MSM allowed the voting public to hear. I knew the gist of this too beforehand, but appreciate the wealth of detailed justifications backing his claims. In this latter section he is less inclined to "pull his punches" than in part one.

This being political in nature I will not discuss stances and the like except to mention that I was right pleased to see that Sanders concludes his "message" with a sufficiently lengthy discussion of the dangers of a modern day mainstream news media controlled by a mere handful of "players" who between them determine what is newsworthy and how we ought to react to it, while suppressing and/or condemning all else. I mention this only because, by sheer coincidence, I recently touched on the same thing elsewhere on these forums (before having read Sanders' take on the matter).

I have now resumed A Feast of Crows, just finishing a chapter in which we find Cersei plotting/fabricating Margaery's downfall. I now realize Cersei herself is the main reason I have set Feast aside as often as I have. Book Cersei (more so than TV Cersei) is for me the most despicable of Martin's creations. Her actions/demeanor remind me far too strongly of what I see the increasingly irreversible dominance of those in power in our "real world" who seem hell bent on enriching themselves regardless of the costs to others and the planet. I had not noticed this comparison during prior reads. Than again I last read Feast in 2011, after passage of Citizens United but before its affects on US politics became glaringly obvious.

Yeesh, I can't seem to type a paragraph within veering into unsafe waters. One of those days, I reckon.

ADDENDUM: For what it's worth...nothing...I "edited" my final entry in the now defunct "old" official forum's General Discussion reading thread to include the above. It keeps those forums alive to an infinitesimal degree for the zero percent who might think to check that thread following its close.

At 1507 this afternoon I concluded my fourth read of George R.R. Martin's A Feast of Crows. One book more and I'll have completed another reading of the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series as it stands (unfinished) today.

I had no trouble with the book's one remaining Cersei chapter. Yes, it begins with her as vile as ever, further insuring Margaery's downfall. But...it's also the chapter in which she herself is brought to task by the new High Septon, and loses control of King and Council. Brienne's storyline, much different from the TV series at this point, remains of interest. As best I recall, her final chapter, which ends in something of a cliffhanger, is the last we hear of her to date, discounting her portrayal on TV.

If my current reading rate holds true, I will end the year having read fewer books than ever before since entering adulthood. (I did not read novel length books for pleasure in youth, save a few isolated exceptions.)

Yesterday I read Shattered Empire. It was pretty neat. It is a 4 volume comic that starts during the Battle of Endor, and goes up to a few months after. It's main character Shala is an A-Wing pilot, who gets in adventures with Han, Leia, and Luke in the second, third, and forth episode. After that she musters out to go home with her hubbie (who was one of the Rebel commandos on Endor), and young son. Oh, and her husband's last name? Dameron.

Which takes me to Poe Dameron. I managed to read the first three in the series today. It is also pretty good. It starts out with Poe being given the assignment of finding Max Von Sydow. So this is a lead up to The Force Awakens. My guess is that it is not intended to be a continuing series, but rather probably just a one shot mini-series like Shattered Empire was. But with more volumes.

Well it's possible the one about Poe could go beyond the events of TFA right?

I suppose it is. But it could get dicey if the comic gets ahead of the movies. Sort of like how the Game of Thones tv show passed the books. But then again, it looks like the movies releases are fixed, and won't be delayed by GRR Martin...

Am a bit over halfway through George R.R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons. Unlike all other ASOIAF entries, this will be only its second complete read. My favorite POV character thus far this volume? Reek. (It rhymes with Freak.)

18 May addendum:
I've read another 100 pages or so of A Dance With Dragons. Was very surprised to see the brief reappearance of a certain character whose storyline I thought was over and done with until the release of book six. It is odd that I have no recollection of having read this info during the book's first reading, especially as I've been curious about the character in question's fate ever since.

I'm reading The Lord of the Rings again. Just because I love it.

I finished the original Thrawn trilogy by Tim Zahn today - Heir the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and Last Command. They are a historic set of books, since they essentially gave birth to the Expanded Universe that followed in both novels and comics.

One interesting thing about re-reading them is how different Zahn's take on clones, and the Clone Wars, is. Like I thought back then, Zahn gives the impression that the Clone Wars were a case of the Republic vs. some mysterious clone masters who had armies of clones. Still, he left it vague enough that it still mostly fits in even with the prequels that came out a decade after his books.

The way his clones have a wrongness about them in the Force does not fit in of course. I am sure Yoda, Mace, Plo-Koon, and company would have noticed that with the Grand Army of the Republic clones if it existed in their time. But they treated all the clones the same as any other natural-born people. In the first Clone Wars episode, Yoda even tells the clones with them that even though they all started out the same, they are all individuals, with their own fates, and their own impressions upon the Force.

But Zahn's clones were grown at an accelerated rate. About four weeks instead of the ten years in the case of the Republic clones. Zahn also made a point of telling us that the faster rates caused clone madness, which the C'Baoth clone had. So maybe we can also attribute that to their weird impression upon the Force? Well, it sounds good anyway.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Mara Jade this time out. She is a much better rounded character in this than in some of the later Zahn books she is in, where she can seem Mary Sue-ish. Ironically those books take place when she was younger, and still in the Emperor's service. While in the Thrawn trilogy she has lost her Force powers, and is just learning to use them again with Luke's help.

At 1512 this afternoon I completed my second reading of George R.R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons. This might well be my favorite volume this cycle, simply because, unlike previous series entries, there were whole chapters I had absolutely no recollection of whatsoever.

Having exhausted ASOIAF I have no idea what I'll start in on next.

ADDENDUM:
I continue my practice of adding the above as an ADDENDUM to my final post in this thread's equivalent at the now closed old official Beth forums. It seems fitting somehow, what with that posting being the thread's final entry when the lights went out.

Set down to supper yesterday only to realize I had not yet decided on anything to read. As I always read physical books during sit-down meals (except breakfast, which is consumed at the computer) I hastily settled on the first thing that popped into my mind, another reading of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Read almost the whole of Eye of the World's prologue during the meal. At that point I wasn't sure I'd stick with it. I'm still not sure I want to tackle another LONG series so soon after ASOIAF.

I suspect my thoughts turned to WoT due to having recently watched this rather rancid 2016 pilot video of the series' prologue, slapped together to keep Red Eagle Entertainment from losing rights to the franchise. (Notice how the (not in the book) prologue to the prologue does little more than mimic the intro to The Fellowship of the Ring, assuming Fellowship had been made on a shoestring budget.)

Khajiit read Eye of the World a couple of years ago while on a weeklong trip to the beach. It was... ok. Honestly, it didn't grab us like some other stories had. We started book 2 but never finished it. Was a bit disappointed because we had heard a lot of folks rant and rave about how good it is. Perhaps Khajiit didn't give it a fair shake since what he really wanted was ASOI&F book 6. We will try again some day.

Reading Star Wars: Dark Rendezvous to pass the time when I'm commuting to Sambo class and I'm blown away by how striking of a character Scout (too lazy to write her full name) is. Asajj is more brutal here too.

I've started book one of the Fionavar Tapestry. I put them on my wishlist on Amazon a while back and forgot about them until recently, then spotted that they were down to £2.99 each. Has meant bailing on The Lord of the Rings, but in all honesty I'd pretty much stalled on it.

Anyway, the book. I'm only at the start of chapter four, but the opening has been pretty wooden. I can see why, because when you're trying to get people from the real world to willingly transport to a magical world you're writing yourself into something of a corner. The main issue for me was how trusting the characters seemed to be of Silvercloak, even after learning that he's lied to them, makes it all feel somewhat forced. But I'm at the point where things have started to go wrong, so I'm expecting the book to pick up from this point.

As an aside, I was rather confused by the map at the start of the book, because it's completely devoid of place names, despite having empty spaces where I assume they should be.

I've read Fionavar numerous times and consider it one of the great Tolkienesque epic fantasies. That said, I agree with you 100% about its opening, and for the same reason(s). Stick with it. Once in the "realm" proper things do improve quickly, as you are apparently beginning to see.

Personally, I think most fantasy novels involving earthlings transplanted to other worlds (or our past) get it wrong one way or another. The closest a writer has come to getting it right, in my opinion, is Stephen Donaldson in his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant..., both trilogies. (Forget the much later written Last Chronicles..., which I find a tragic letdown.) For me the title character acts far more like a "real" person might under similar circumstances.

Well, I'm coming up to the end of the first book.

I'm enjoying the story and the setting, I like most of the characters(not Diarmuid though, really don't like him), and the way that the powers are taking a hand in events. It did get slightly confusing with one of the characters being separated, just because he overlapped events and made the timing of things a bit awkward. So, on the whole, I'm liking the book.

There are two things that I don't like. The villain thus far comes off as being evil for the sake of evil. That whole sequence with

seems to serve no purpose other than demonstrating this, and leads into my other issue. It feels like the author is forcing things. Sometimes it'll be the actions of characters, other times it feels like he's forcing the scale of things. And there have been a couple of instances where he's straight up abused coincidence to do so, for instance:


And it's made worse by comparison with Dave's part, which in my opinion has been the highlight of the book, and completely avoids the issue. I'm hoping that this is simply the author setting things up, and that it won't continue to be a problem.

Edit: 80% of the way through the second book. It's continuing to be a problem.

I've just finished reading the Fionavar tapestry trilogy, and I'm gonna be honest, I didn't like them.

The author is far too heavy handed, in my opinion, all too often at the expense of his characters.

The worst instance of this I mention in my previous post; the villain being evil for the sake of evil in the first book. As it turns out, not only is this exactly what it looked like at the time, it's also one of the dumbest things I've ever seen a villain do.

And there is absolutely no excuse for the character Diarmuid.

Also, and this is more of a pet peeve than anything else, I utterly despise the way the author decided to crowbar some Arthurian legend into the books. For one thing, it reeks of the author forcing the scale some more, drafting in King Arthur and then Lancelot to fight the evil. And he then spends way too much time on the relationship between the three of them, which has no actual grounding in the books. He just has one of his characters suddenly become Guinevere(no, really, this is what actually happens) after King Arthur turns up and then simply goes from there.

I'll give them a second read at some point or other, but I doubt my opinion of them will change much.

Edit: Sorry for the tvtropes links, but they were just convenient.

I finished my seventh reading of Robert Jordan's Eye of the World at 1642 this afternoon. Whether or not I will continue on with the series remains to be seen. I'll almost certainly know by bedtime.

I've an idea for you. Look at my at-the-moment non existent list of favorite fantasy novels. Make sure you never read anything on that list. You should do well.

I finished reading Rebel Rising by Beth Revis. It was excellent. It is the story of Jyn Erso, starting with Saw Gererra taking her after the death of her mother and capture of her father. It literally ends with her first meeting with Mon Mothma and the Rebel Alliance on Yavin. I really appreciated the extra work the author took to incorporate things from other Star Wars media. It takes the most from the novel Catalyst, which is natural as that is the story about her parents and how they got entangled with the Empire and Orson Krennic to begin with. A lot of the Saw Gererra stuff is tied to Rogue One of course, like when Saw first said that "one fighter with a sharp stick and nothing left to lose can take the day." Things from the tv shows also get mentions, such as Fulcrum, and even meiloorun fruit.

It is not your typical story, which tells a single tale of one specific event. Rather it follows her life for some fifteen years or so. We see where she gains her skills. Saw's descent in paranoia. How and why he abandons her. And how her life got even worse.

All throughout there are hints about the Empire building the Death Star. Saw and Jyn keep coming across little pieces of the puzzle, but of course can never put it all together as we, who know what is going to happen, can. It is lots of little thing like the Empire's interest in kyber crystals. Mining massive amounts of metals used for starship construction, and taking great pains to hide where those metals are going to. Even down to Jyn in prison making starship wall panels. More than the entire Imperial starfleet could ever use.

It gets really bleak by the ending. But it does make her character in Rogue One make so much sense. Cassian Andor and the other commandos in Rogue One were not the only ones who had a need to find redemption. Not to mention a need to find a death that meant something. All in all a really good read. While the book gets depressing, it makes Rogue One's ending feel more uplifting. Now I want to watch the movie again.

I just finished Guardians of the Whills, by Greg Rucka. Another excellent book. Like Rebel Rising, it gives a lot more depth to Chirrut and Baze. I thought they had a great bromance in Rogue One. Their relationship really shines here.

For example, this really sums up Baze:



and then Chirrut:


and later:


Jedha City itself really shines here. It is a character just like all the others. Guardians of the Whills really brings the place to life, with its different neighborhoods, history, and diverse population of races and faiths. After reading this, Jedha feels as real to me as Detroit, or Chicago, or London. It makes the city's fate all the more sad and poignant.

The story itself is good, and tight. Maybe a little too tight. It reads really fast. That is my only complaint, if you can call it that. It is set a few years before Rogue One. Saw Gererra comes to Jedha and begins his campaign against the Imperials during the story. Chirrut and Baze get caught up with Saw's partisans. But that relationship does not last. They have wildly different goals. Chirrut and Baze are fighting for the people of Jedha. Saw, OTOH, is simply fighting against the Empire, and he does not care how many innocent people get killed in the crossfire. A local orphanage serves as a stark symbol of the gulf between each view point. There are only 6 kids in it at the beginning of the book. Within a few months of Saw Gerrerra, there are 34. In fact, the plot really revolves around that orphanage, which I really liked. It keeps the story and the fight against the Empire grounded in humanity, and shows what Chirrut and Baze are really made of.

Yesterday and today and read two short Star Wars E-books - Perfect Weapon by Delilah Dawson, and The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku by Landry Walker. Perfect Weapon was ok, but its protagonist seems to suffer from Mary Sue syndrome for much of the story. I think if the author had not gone on so much about how every man who saw her wanted to have sex with her it would have been much better. But as it goes on it is revealed that she is not quite so perfect after all, especially when the big double-cross is revealed near the end. She kind of reminded me of Ventress. But without all the backstory that (eventually) made Ventress such a complex and tragic character.

The Crimson Corsair was a load of rollicking fun, a classic Star Wars thrill ride. It did not have much depth. As in none. But it was filled with wild action and excitement. Plus a 'treasure' which was not quite what the characters expected. But even that had a nice twist.

Just got back from a week of travel/visiting Acadian Sr. Took the opportunity to read Plains of Passage - the fourth book in the Earth's Children series that traces the massive saga of a young blond heroine during earth's ice age.

I've read up through and including this fourth book in the series many years ago and am pleased that the authoress went on to publish four additional novels in the series so I have plenty more of this saga to savor.

The series is a wonderfully rich and sprawling portrait of both east and west Europe during the ice age when both ancient man (neanderthal who relied heavily of inherited memories - instincts) and early modern man (cro-magnon who relied on the ability to visualize and create innovative solutions) existed at the same time. The heroine (a young cro-magnon blond) endures no shortage of crises, where her ability to adapt to her environment as both a huntress and medicine woman serve her well.

As I've mentioned before, this series has had a significant impact on Buffy Fiction from the beginning. I think that is why I enjoy the series so much; when I am on the road it helps ease not playing or writing with Buffy.

Edit: Added missing 'e' to end heroine - thanks SubRosa.

One of these days I am going to get around to reading those. Whenever I run out of Star Wars books I suppose!

But I don't think you meant that the protagonist was a blond opiate?

Lol, thanks, SubRosa.

Ayla's the heroine's name. Lost her family at age five in an earthquake and was found/raised by a tribe of neanderthals until her independent thinking and willfulness caused them to kick her out of the tribe. Thrust out on her own, the young woman befriends and raises two young horses, a baby cave lion and a wolf cub - who all grow up to be like family to her.

Ayla does eventually find herself a boyfriend and, though a good match, their relationship is rather tempestuous - and the authoress does not shy from describing their frequent and passionate couplings. She also lingers extensively describing the terrain, flora and fauna of the time - which seems appropriate given Ayla's skill as a healer who uses plants extensively and lives with animals.

Though the tale is told primarily from Ayla's perspective, the narrative is third person that head hops so much as to render the narrative almost omniscient. Since I was trained by you to avoid head hopping, her frequent PoV changes took some getting used to.

Status update:

I indeed moved on to The Great Hunt, book two of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. Have read surprisingly little of it. Or not so surprising. Much of the time I would normally spend reading has been devoted instead to assembling and configuring the new PC, along with, more recently, monkeying with an experimental Oblivion install on that rig.

I've started rereading the Hellequin Chronicles, which is proving once again to be great value for money. I picked them up for something like £1 per ebook, and the setting's good, the characters are entertaining, and the stories are fun enough that I'm too distracted by them to get overly critical. And given the number of redheads popping up, the author seems to share my weakness for them(or at least, the main character does, but I think they pop up a little too often for that to be the reason), which is a nice bonus.

Finished reading Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy, and they didn't fare quite so well this time around. Still love the first book, but the second was somewhat dodgy on its premise and continuity, and the third makes a few jumps for the setup that don't really seem merited. But I still enjoyed the trilogy.

Now I just have to try and figure out what to read next...

After watching season 1 of Starz's American Gods (viewed via a small monthly subscription through Amazon Prime), Khajiit decided to pick up the book it was adapted for TV from, American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This one is really enjoying it.