At 0922 this morning, 28 Jun 2020, I concluded my third read of Fred Saberhagen's The Second Book of Swords. I suppose I'll continue on with the third and final book. As of now I do not plan to read the Lost Swords series, wanting to make a dent in my ever-growing new-purchase TBR pile.

At 2227 yesterday evening I concluded my third read of Fred Saberhagen's The Third Book of Swords. I find it a better book than its predecessors. Enough so that I now debate continuing on with the various/numerous Lost Swords books, something I had no intention of doing at the end of book two.

Not a fiction book, but I found White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo, on Books. Bought it, downloaded it, and so far I am finding it very interesting. I identify as white, and am aware that my life, though it’s been a challenge at time because of my congenital deafness, has been relatively easy compared to those of my Black friends and coworkers. It is quite the eye opener, and I recommend it to anyone who’s truly interested in improving race relations (and it starts with oneself, I firmly believe).

Would you believe that it was recommended to me (and to others) by the Bishop of the Northwestern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America? I am proud to be a member of this organization, because it shows that not all “Christians” are homophobic racists. In fact, I went to the Synod Assembly as a delegate quite a few years ago at a time when the churchwide organization was debating letting gays and lesbians serve openly as fully ordained pastors. I am proud to say that legislation passed later that summer at the churchwide assembly. I bring this up to challenge the popular media concept that all Christians are racist, homophobic and misogynistic. I have Muslim friends, atheist friends, and even a pagan friend or two. I love and respect them all, because I know they are people like me.

At 2125 yesterday evening, 4 Jul 2020, I concluded a third read of Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East, book 1: The Broken Lands. This is an earlier book (first published 1968) than his Swords series, set in the same world during an earlier era. Like Swords volumes, it is short by modern standards, clocking in at under 200 pages, but of fairly typical length for a fantasy of its time. It shares another trait fairly common with fantasy of that era (and still today, just not as frequently) in that it contains sci-fi elements, in this case being set in a once technologically advanced world long after some catastrophe has reduced what remains of civilization to a relatively primitive state, one in which 'magic' now substitutes for lost technology to some limited extent. Vague, confused remembrances of a more advanced age remain, as do certain its physical objects. One of Broken Lands main plot-lines concerns one such object.

I had no memory of owning Broken Lands, discovering it by accident while returning the Swords series to its storage box. I did not intend to read more Saberhagen (at this time) until spotting it. Short as it is, I decided "what the heck? Might as well give it a try." As with the Swords books, I find it an okay read. Enjoyable, but not something I'd recommend to someone interesting in expanding their fantasy library. Unless that person has a special interest in early post-Tolkien fantasy literature.

Having finished Broken Lands, and not wanting to read the Lost Swords books at this time, I started in on book two of The Witcher series for what little remained of the day, then a bit more upon waking this morning. I then crawled out of bed, turned on the computer, and updated my 2020 reading log. On a whim, I decided to check and see if Broken Lands two prior readings had been logged during their respective years. The first reading (1989) had not. I fixed that. The second reading (1995) had. That year's log held several surprises, one being an entry for completing Book 2: The Black Mountains. This book too I have no recollection of. What's more, it's not in my Saberhagen stack. Considering the 1995 completion date, there's no way I could have given it away or 'lent' it to an acquaintance. Ergo, it had to be somewhere in the house. But where? Was it worth the bother of a full search? I decided on a token search. Turns out the book was housed in the same storage box as my Saberhagen stack, about halfway down a stack on the opposite end of the box. Once found I again decided, "What the heck, it's short, I'll read it." The Witcher is again on hold.

At 1704 this afternoon I finished a third read of Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East, Book 2: The Black Mountains. So far as I know, I do not own Book 3. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the first two books just well enough to mildly consider ordering the concluding volume. Be that as it may, I'll like resume reading the Witcher series tonight, or something else in my too-high recent purchase initial-read stack.

I had all three books, lost one, bought a combined volume edition, lost that, and now I only have book 1.

I have several of his Berserker series, but none of the Swords.

Searching Amazon the other day, it seems that the 'combined volume edition' is currently the only practical way for me to acquire book 3 (of Empire of the East) at the moment.

Stop the presses! I just discovered that book 3 (Changling Earth, published 1973) is no longer the series conclusion! Saberhagen returned to the series at the very end of his life and published a fourth volume, Ardneh's Sword, in 2006! It might be his final published work. This ups the chance of me acquiring book 3, and of course book 4. It would be super interesting to see how Saberhagen's writing 'improved/matured' or didn't improve/mature following a decades-long break.

Did the source if this information indicate where it fits? The Swords books supposedly continue the story already, so was there a gap that needed to be filled? It looks like I'll have to find a copy, too. And just when my Nook has given up on me.

I took this description off Goodreads:
"Ardnehs Sword is a bridge story linking Fred Saberhagens Empire of the East series with his later Swords series. And while avid fans have always recognized the world of Swords as being a future iteration of the Empire lands, this novel cements that fact as an absolute truth, providing a rather seamless transition from one series to the next."
More detailed descriptions can be found. I chose to ignore them for now, as I don't want to spoil things for myself should I decide to buy the book.

At 2053 yesterday evening, 14 Jul 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's Sword of Destiny, second of two short-story compilations that serve as introduction to The Witcher series. It and its predecessor are interesting reads. My enjoyment increased with each successive short-story. I ended up liking the books significantly more than the first story or two led me to suspect. I'm now 72 pages into Blood of Elves, the series' first full-fledged novel.

I've completed 18 books thus far this year. Three were history. One was a pictorial of historic interest. The rest are fantasy (in a few cases science-fantasy). The bulk were read within three months; January, June, July. I suffered a reading slump beginning late January so that in Feb, Mar and May I read only one book per month, and only two during April. Three books were initial reads, the rest re-reads. I would be hard-pressed to pick a "best read of the half year". It is a tie between Guy Gavriel Kay's Lions of Al-Rassan and Bruce Catton's three book Army of the Potomac, both re-reads.

At 1641 this afternoon, 21 Jul 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's Blood of Elves, first novel in his Witcher series. General consensus seems to be that the two short-story compilation books are weak compared to the bonafide novels. Some even recommend skipping the short-stories. Turns out I enjoy the short-story books more than the first novel. Go figure.

I'm now a few pages into novel two, The Time of Contempt. Books three and four or on order and should arrive NTL this coming Saturday.

At 0842 this morning, 28 Jul 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Time of Contempt, the second Witcher novel (but fourth book in the series). This volume has some very well executed moments, which I'll not discuss due to spoilers. I planned to mention noticed literary influences, but my mind being what it is I've forgotten them. Except Henryk Sienkiewicz' "Trilogy", which is only fitting, Sienkiewicz being one of the major Polish novelists. Also, a few, short isolated bits remind me somewhat of Moorecock. There are several others, but again, they've faded from memory.

I'll begin the next book, Baptism of Fire, later today.

I have an initial-read TBR list!

It is most odd that I have such a list. First, the overwhelming majority of my reading has for years been re-reads. Second, I don’t normally plan my reading in advance, other than to continue an ongoing series. The below isn’t to be taken as gospel. I hope to get to them by year’s end, but am just as likely to do a fair amount of re-reading, pushing some to 2021 or beyond.

Dostoyevsky: The Brothers Karamazov.
The one book (on the list) I’ve owned forever without haven’t yet read. (The remaining books are all fairly recent acquisitions.)

Lee Server: Ava Gardiner “Love is Nothing”.
I’m not normally a celebrity-bio guy. I’d not bother with this except that my brother read it a while back and offered it to me afterward. Low priority.

Brandon Sanderson: Oathbringer.
I’m not the Sanderson fanboy much of booktube seems to be. Still, I Like books 1 & 2 (of Stormlight Archive) quite a lot. Better than Mistborn, certainly. Not sure why I waited to long to buy it.

Colleen McCullough: Caesar.
I searched for this title at my local Barnes & Noble for years. It never materialized there. When the store was destroyed by tornado earlier this year it bit the bullet and ordered off Amazon. (I’ve read and enjoyed all earlier series entries.)

Ariosto: Orlanda Furioso / Orlando Furioso 2 (Penguin Classics).
These are a BIG gamble for me, as I’ve never cared for books written in verse.

Various Icelandic writers: The Sagas of Icelanders (Penguin Classics).
I began reading these sagas during my ‘slump’ and enjoyed what I read very much. I didn’t stop due to the ‘slump’ but because the book is rather heavy. It proved hard to hold any length of time while lying down.

Claudio Saunt: Unworthy Republic, the Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory.
I began this too, only to stop due solely due to my ‘slump’. I know the gist of much it contains, but in the short amount already read found things new to me.

Andrzej Sapkowski: The Witcher, remaining volumes.
This is of course what I’m reading now. (I order the one book I lack yesterday). An enjoyable series but not, I think, destined to enter my non-existent fantasy Top-20 list.

Speaking of which, my reading has slowed of late, due to a return of strong neck / shoulder / upper back pain that makes lying down unpleasant at the best of times. To the plus, lower-back pain, once my primary source of lying discomfort, has at long last diminished to the point it is rarely more than a minor nuisance. Or so I hope.

At 0251 this morning, 6 Aug 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's Baptism of Fire, book three (or five, counting the two short-story collections) of his The Witcher series. I'm now several pages into book 4(6), The Tower of Swallows. I wanted to read more, but my neck hurt too much allow me to remain lying down.

Can you believe it? I ordered two more books off Amazon, adding to an already too large TBR list! The first is a Penguin Classic edition of The Monk: A Romance, a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, first published in 1796. It was totally unknown to me until a few days ago. Like other recently purchased canonical classics, I was introduced to it via a Steve Donoghue YouTube video. Wikipedia describes it thus:

"It is a prime example of the male Gothic that specializes in the aspect of horror. Its convoluted and scandalous plot has made it one of the most important Gothic novels of its time, often imitated and adapted for the stage and the screen."

The second ordered book is a collection of orchestra scores for Beethoven's first four symphonies. I've owned all nine scores in book form since my late teens or very early twenties. I've never been completely satisfied with that edition, as it prints four or more pages of score on a single book page. This can make it a bit of a challenge to follow. I didn't mind so much in my younger days, with better than 20/20 vision. The book on order presents the works one score page per each book page, except when it makes sense to combine score pages. (Mainly when Beethoven writes extensive passages only for the wind or string sections, while the rest of the orchestra remains silent.) Too, my old edition follows the questionable practice of highlighting with arrows what it considers the music's 'important' voice(s). Unneeded clutter, imo. (That said, back when I did a bit of light ensemble conducting, I'd often highlight individual instrument parts to better remember important cues.)

My hearing being what it now is, buying music scores is somewhat ludicrous, the more so considering I've lost much of my ability to decipher music notation due to decades of total neglect. I doubt I'll buy more score books, except 'maybe' the remaining Beethoven symphonies.

At 0311 this morning, 13 Aug 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Tower of Swallows, book 4(6) his Witcher series. I'm now a few pages into The Lady of the Lake.

At 1517 this afternoon, 19 Aug 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Lady of the Lake, bringing to an end The Witcher novel series. Having read the books in publication order, I've one final volume to go, the later written Season of Storms. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had read the books in one of the other recommended orders, which place Season of Storms (or parts of it) with the two short-story books that serve as a series intro. I somehow suspect Storms will be in more of a lighter style to match the short-stories, rather than the novels darker style. Then again, I could be wrong. Time will tell.

I find the series uneven, but definitely worth reading. Unlike some, I find the two short-story compilations a worthy introduction, though admit I had doubts early on. The novels-proper gave me a few doubts too, during book two I think, then became more consistently interesting.

I've been thinking on what my Top-Five Fantasy Series list would be, were I foolish enough to concoct one. A problem, one series that would surely make the list, A Song of Ice and Fire, must be excluded since it will never be finished. Another sure-fire entry, The Wheel of Time, was not finished by the author. Much as I think Sanderson does a good job completing it, I believe we'd have gotten better from Jordan, especially the final book. (I'm in the minority in being disappointed with A Memory of Light). At one time the first two Stephen Donaldson Thomas Covenant Chronicles (trilogies) would have headed the list, and still might place highly. But much has been written since those, and in any case the much later published Final Chronicles is for me a tragic disappointment. And so it goes.

At 1903 this evening, 23 Aug 2020, I concluded an initial read of Andrzej Sapkowski's Season of Storms, final book in The Witcher series. While I consider the series uneven, I'm sad to see it end.

If and when I re-read the series, I'll likely follow an alternative order, which places Season of Storms early on, with the short-story compilations, except for its short concluding epilogue, which belongs dead last. That said, reading the entire book as a closer works well enough.

I've not yet settled on what to take up next. I'm tentatively thinking of a change of pace, something I rarely do; read a 'classic', in this case Matthew Lewis' late eighteenth century novel The Monk - A Romance, in the Penguin Classics edition. We shall see.

At 1611 this afternoon, 1 Sep 2020, I concluded and initial read of Matthew Lewis' 1796 The Monk - A Romance, in its Penguin Classics edition. It's the first 'classic' I've read in a very long time, excepting Henryk Sienkiewicz' "Trilogy", read half a decade ago. Oddly, I've not yet decided what I think of it. I certainly don't dislike it. Nor is it a favorite. A decent read, I suppose. I don't rule out reading it again.

As to what I'll take up next, I've no earthly idea.

I've decided to tackle another book in my initial-read TBR pile, Colleen McCollough's Caesar. It's fiction, part of a series which chronicles Rome from the late Republic of Marius/Sulla through Julius Caesar and on for some short period of time. I know, for instance, that there is a volume devoted to Antony and Cleopatra. Beyond that, I've no idea. I rather enjoyed earlier series entries, some more than others. It's a long book, some 840 pages. I'll be at it a good couple of weeks minimum.

At 0317 this morning, 19 Sep 2020, I concluded an initial read of Colleen McCullough's Caesar, a component of her series of historically-informed novels chronicling Rome from the late Republic of Gaius Marius and early Sulla through the onset of Empire. I like the series quite a lot, this entry being no exception. It covers Caesars stay in Gaul during the Gallic Rebellion, the crossing of the Rubicon, and the consequent Civil War between Caesar's adherents and the of Pompey and the Senate, ending with Pompey's demise. [EDIT: Almost forgot to mention that a young Cleopatra puts in a brief appearance.] An easy recommend if you're at all into well told historically plausible novels set within this period. I of course recommend the entire series.

I don't yet own the next series entry, The October Horse. I'm not yet sure what I'll read next.

ADDENDUM: I just ordered October Horse off Amazon. A used Hardback copy, advertised as like-new. $7.04US, shipping and tax included. Not bad at all. It won't arrive any time soon, so I still need to decide on at least one interim read. (I might not read October Horse upon arrival in any case.)

I'm now in the midst of an initial read of the book Cthulhu: The Mythos and Kindred Horrors, a collection of stories by Robert E. Howard, edited by David Blake. It's been in my library for ages. (The book is copyrighted 1987.) I had totally forgotten its existence until rummaging through my storage boxes for something to tide me over while waiting for The October Horse to arrive. It's something of a change of pace for me. As such, it was slow going at first. I'm now fairly comfortable with it.

One of my strongest impressions thus far is that this sort of book can't be written these days. Not as contemporary fiction. The world has changed too much since these stories first saw light of day, mostly in the early 1930s, a couple from the late 30s. Even then that world was quickly vanishing, thanks to aircraft travel, an expanding roadway network, radio, motion pictures (with sound!), telephones, electricity, and so on. (Not all those technologies were new by the 1930s, but its around then that many of them became commonplace throughout much of the civilized world.) At any rate, we nowadays don't see the world-at-large as a mysterious place full of yet to be unveiled wonders (or horrors). Well, most don't.

Which stories are in it? I am trying to think of Two-Gun Bob's Mythos tales, and the first that comes to mind is The Black Stone, which I think was his best Mythos tale. The Fire of Asshurbanipal was a good one too, and Pidgeons From Hell.

Which stories are in it? I am trying to think of Two-Gun Bob's Mythos tales, and the first that comes to mind is The Black Stone, which I think was his best Mythos tale. The Fire of Asshurbanipal was a good one too, and Pidgeons From Hell.

Here be the stories:

"Arkham"
"The Black Stone"
"The Fire of Asshurbanipal"
"The Thing on the Roof"
"Dig Me No Grave"
"Silence Falls on Mecca's Walls"
"The Valley of the Worm"
"The Shadow of the Beast"
"Old Garfield's Heart"
"People of the Dark"
"Worms of the Earth"
"Pigeons from Hell"
"An Open Window"

I've just begun "Dig Me No Grave". And yes, I liked "Fire of Asshurbanipal" and "Black Stone".

I don't remember Arkham at all. Dig Me No Grave I only barely recall, and it did not do much for me. The Valley of the Worm was a fun barbarian tale, So were People of the Earth and Worms of the Earth. The latter are kind of similar. Pigeons From Hell was a good ghost story as I recall. The others I don't know.

Terry Goodkind has passed.

@SubRosa
"Silence Falls on Mecca's Walls" turns out to be a short poem. Only its final five lines spill on to a second page. Blink and you miss it. It left so little impression on me I've already forgotten its content. Then again, I've never been a poetry/verse reader.

At 0337 this morning, 26 Sep 2020, I concluded an initial read of Cthulhu: The Mythos and Kindred Horrors, a collection of short stories (and one poem) by Robert E. Howard, edited by David Drake. While horror isn't my thing I enjoy the book, some stories more than others. Short as it is I should have finished it far sooner than I did. (My) age and the fact that, for me, it isn't a 'page turner' slowed me. Just as well. I've several books on order, the first of which 'might' arrive today.

I'm considering tackling another fairly reason purchase, Ludovico Ariostro's Orlando Furioso in the Penguin Classics edition introduced and edited by Barbara Reynolds. This will be a very hard nut for me to crack. It's a chunkster of a work, and written in verse! I've never in my life been a verse reader. Even its short appearances in certain 'modern' fantasy novels are hard for me to digest. I might well flounder here, and DNF Orlando. In hindsight, this is one work I might have been better off buying in audio format. Be that as it may, I'm going to give it a fair shot, and hope for the best.

Saturday afternoon ADDENDUM:
October Horse (Caesar & Cleopatra) has arrived. As the seller states, it's 'like-new'. Great deal for the little I paid for it in hardback.

At 2302 yesterday evening, 4 Oct 2020, I concluded a seventh read of Gene Wolfe's Soldier in the Mist. A most interesting book. Very character driven. Set in 'classical Greece' a generation or so after Thermopylae, it spoils little to say that its protagonist is a warrior who, due to head wound, forgets everything about midday each day. This seems a tricky premise to base a character around, fraught with peril. Wolfe pulls it off without a hitch. I'll go so far as to say that it's the book's primary attraction. The downside...being the first in a three book series it ends abruptly without any sort of closure. What's more, for me the later books add little worthwhile to the series. Well, book two in any case. I didn't buy/read book three. As of now I've no plans to. All this said, I easily recommend Soldier in the Mist for its masterful/entertaining handling of the protagonist's situation.

As of now, I plan to read a newly arrived addition to my TBR list: a Penguin Classic edition of The Saga of the Volsung, introduced, edited and translated Jesse L. Byock. I read a few pages of its intro last night and hope to dig in deeper later today.

A BookTuber I subscribe to recently took a BrandonSanderson.com test to determine which 'Knight Radiant' order (from his Stormlight Archive series) she best identifies with. A link was provided. Having read the series' first to books, and owning the third, I took the plunge. Results? First place, "Edgedancer" (70%). Second, "Truthwatcher" (63%). At bottom, Stoneward (36%) and Dustbringer (31%). Following the test we get to see definitions of the Order we most resemble. Based solely on that definition Edgedancer is a good match for me, the only discrepancy being that 'real me' is likely among the least religious-mind people alive.

A couple of questions couldn't be answered as they no longer apply to me. One is "Fencing or Boxing". Due to age and health, the idea that I can either throw a solid punch or effectively swing a sword is ludicrous. I'd harm myself rather than my opponent. Due to that, I left the slider at its default 50% position. (There is no 'neither' option.)

At any rate, it was a fun little test. I provide a link for Sanderson fans (or anyone who enjoys this sort of thing):

(link) Official Knights Radiant Order Quiz (link)

As to reading in general, I seem to have entered another slump. Understandable, as I have a lot on my plate at the moment, which makes it hard to keep focused while attempting to read.

My slump continues. Slow reader that I am, even I should have finished Saga of the Volsung by now, short as it is. Instead, I've not yet reached page sixty. Maybe now that this week's two 'events' are (hopefully) behind me things will improve, provided another doesn't rear its ugly head. We shall see.

At 0416 this morning, 14 October 2020, I concluded an initial read of The Saga of the Volsungs, a Penguin Classics translated and introduced by Jess L. Byock. The original is by an unknown thirteenth-century Icelandic author, himself drawing on established older material. This represents the Icelandic/Scandinavian version of myths/legends often better known in their Germanic variant. Siegfried, for instance, is here Sigurd, to give but one obvious example. I've read several modern takes on these legends. This is my first extended stab at their source material.

A short book by modern standards, I find it enjoyable but, for me, not a page-turner. Then again, I had a lot on my plate the entire time I read it. Any book read during this period might suffer the same fate. At any rate, a recommendation to anyone interested in these still well-known legends.

Tis a sad day for me. Just researched to get a feel for when and where our Barnes & Noble, destroyed during a tornado early this year, might reopen. I unearthed this recent (Sep 2020) email from Barnes & Noble to local news outlet:

"Barnes & Noble is very sad to announce that it is unable to reopen its store in XXXXX, which was forced to close following its destruction by a tornado in March. We have been privileged to run the store for the past 14 years and were devastated for our booksellers, and for the area, when it was hit by the tornado. We have been in discussions to re-open the bookstore, but unfortunately this has proved to be uneconomic. We are to look for alternative locations for a new bookstore in the area, with an active search to begin as soon as normal retail conditions return. We thank our customers for their years of loyalty and support, and express our sincere gratitude to our terrific booksellers who worked in the XXXXX store."

There you have it. Our area's major city, a university city with a population of over 79k, has no general purpose bookstores. (We've no used book stores either.) Not a one. Zilch. I believe there remains a couple of specialty Christian book stores, and the university of course has its own bookstore. As neither of those apply to me, I'm excrement out of luck.

I DNF'd the fantasy novel I attempted to read after finishing The Saga of the Volsungs. It just couldn't hold my interest. After five days I hadn't made it beyond around page 40. No great loss. I've owned the book for decades, long enough to have forgotten why it remains unread after all this time.

In its place, I'm doing a fifth read of Gene Wolfe's Soldier of Arete, followup to his Soldier of the Mist, reread not long ago.

This is my first time reading The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester. Unlike his Hornblower series, this is a WWII novel, but like Hornblower it's a naval tale. I got turned into it after watching Tom Hanks in Greyhound, which was quite the nail-biter for me. Of course, I grew up on WWII movies featuring brave Allied captains battling hidden German U-Boats, so it was a bit of nostalgia for me. In high school I really got into that whole era, reading every novel I could get my hands on, even those so stuffed with testosterone there were no room for a drop of estrogen. The stories of Allied convoys sailing into the teeth of the U Boat Wolfpacks emphasized canniness, intelligence, and strategy, and the ability to out think and outsmart your rival was especially celebrate in these stories and a huge part of their appeal for me.

So, just started it this morning, and so far so good.

At 0302 this morning, 28 Oct 2020, I completed a fifth read of Gene Wolfe's Soldier of Arete, followup to Soldier of the Mist, reread earlier this year. As with previous reads I find it inferior to that earlier volume. Neither has a great ending, imo, but that's understandable and thus forgivable in book one. There is a much later written third book. I do not own it.

As to what I'll take up next I've no idea.

Wednesday Evening Addendum:
I've tentatively settled on Michael Moorcock's The Jewel in the Skull, book one of The History of the Runestaff, last read Oct 2005. I enjoy Moorcock. I don't consider many if any of his books out-and-out masterworks, but find most of them to be solid reads, entertaining and sometimes a heck of a lot of fun.

During my over-long absence from the internet I thought to devote much time to reading. Turns out I couldn't concentrate so did very little. Until yesterday. Then WHAM! I read the remainder of Jewell in the Skull, from roughly page 35 to the end, finishing at 1431. I then began book two, The Mad God's Amulet, finishing it at 0440 this morning! This while playing a good bit of DFU and Solitile and winding up a re-watch of a favorite TV series.

I'm now on page 34 of book three, Moorcock's The Sword of the Dawn. I suspect that with the internet back up and running my reading will resume its normal snail's pace.

I consider these old-style Sword & Sorcery Action/Adventures. Fast-paced and straight-forward. Still, as said before they're a heck of a lot of fun.

At 0440 this morning, 7 Nov 2020, I concluded a fourth read of Michael Moorcock's The Sword of the Dawn, book three of The History of the Runestaff. This is my least favorite series entry so far. Which won't stop me from continuing on with the series closer, The Runestaff.

I might have mentioned elsewhere ordering Andrzej Sapkowski's The Tower of Fools, due to arrive Friday the 13th. I purposely did not research it before ordering. That's something of a risk with a book described as Historical Fantasy. It's a very 'iffy' sub-genre for me, depending on the approach taken. We shall see.

I think I read one of the Runestaff books decades ago, because I remember the Granbretan Empire, and a giant bridge they had over the English Channel. But I cannot remember anything else. Were those the ones with Hawkmoon?

<nods> Granbretan, the Channel bridge, Hawkmoon. That's in the series.

ADDENDUM:
At 1237 Sunday, 8 Nov 2020, I concluded a fourth read of Michael Moorcock's The Runstaff, last book in The History of the Runestaff. I enjoyed this volume more so than its immediate predecessor. It suffers from that book's flaws, but here they suit the story better.

Having finished the book so unexpectedly quickly I've not idea what to tackle next. Maybe more Moorcock? The Chronicles of Castle Brass? Yes, that's the ticket!

At 1453 this afternoon, 9 Nov 2020, I concluded a fourth read of Michael Moorcock's Count Brass, first volume of The Chronicles of Castle Brass. This is a direct follow up to The History of the Runestaff series, set some five to seven year after the end of that those early books, featuring more or less the same cast of characters. Once past a decent opening I found it a bit too same-old same-old until the closing chapters, when the story picked up again. I'll likely begin book two (of three), The Champion of Garthorm, during supper.

Short as these individual volumes are, none of the three come close to 200 pages, I might well be done with the series prior to The Tower of Fools arrival this Friday! Assuming I don't enter another reading slump.

At 1546 this afternoon, 12 Nov 2020, I finished book two of Michael Moorcock's The Chronicles of Castle Brass series: The Champion of Garathorm. I find it consistently better than book one. I plan to begin book three, The Quest for Tanelorn, during supper, despite Sapkowski's The Tower of Fools having arrived a day early.

At 1241 this afternoon, 15 Nov 2020, I concluded a fourth read of Michael Moorcock's The Quest for Tanelorn, bringing to a close another reading of The Chronicles of Castle Brass. I found this final volume a bit hard to follow in spots, but enjoyed it nonetheless. (I've felt extra muddle-headed these past few days, which might account for my difficulty comprehending bits of what I read.) I now debate continuing on with more Moorcock or sticking to my original plan to read Sapkowski's The Tower of Fools.

At 2127 yesterday evening, 18 Nov 20202, I concluded a second read of Michael Moorcock's The Ice Schooner. First published 1966 in serial form in a sci-fi magazine, mine is a 1987 paperback edition revised by the author. This is not what I planned to read. However, The Tower of Fools proved to be too heavy/cumbersome for my right wrist, constantly painful since last Tuesday's battle with a difficult to open container of Red Pepper Flakes. Another sign of the aging process I suppose. As if I need more such signs. Anyway, early as it is in the cycle, Ice Schooner ties in with Moorcock's Eternal Champion mythos well enough. I wonder if that's due to the revision, not that it matters. My decrepit mind tells me I enjoyed it more this time round than the first, though with a 28 year-plus gap between reads I take that observation with a grain of salt.

I have tentatively begun more early Moorcock, his The Eternal Champion, another 1987 printing of a story that first appeared, in part, in a science-fiction magazine.

Bought and downloaded the following books for funsies:

1. The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the Great Campaigns by Bezalel Bar-Kochva

2. From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire by Susan Sherwin-White and Amelie Kuhrt

3. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-148 BC, Vol. 1: The Seleucid Army by Nick Sekunda

4. In the Garden of the Gods: Models of Kingship from the Sumerians to the Seleucids by Eva Anagnostou-Laotides

I’m a Seleucidophile, in case you can’t tell. Is Seleucidophile even a word? I dunno, but I just love ‘em thanks to Total War and I figured I might as well get books about them /shrug

That’s a lot of history books! Khajiit approves! That last book sounds especially interesting to me.

I was an armchair history buff long before discovering fantasy. These titles sound quite interesting.

As for me, I lost interest in continuing Moorcock's Eternal Champion novels, so am in the midst of a sixth read of Ann McCaffrey's Dragonflight. I plan/hope to reread the entire initial 'trilogy', of which I consider book three, The White Dragon, the gem. We'll see if that holds through this time round. As to continuing on beyond the initial three books, I own them all, I make no commitment.

Tons of fun history there. I also recommend Dividing The Spoils The War For Alexanders Empire by Robin Waterfield. It details the rise of the Successor Kingdoms after Alexander's death, focusing on that 20-40 years immediately after her died. So the rise of Seleucus, and all the trials and reverses he faced while founding the Seleucid Empire were definitely in there.

@Bosslord Khajiit: I agree! Out of all the books I got, that one had the most pull, title-wise. I was actually tempted to start out with that one first but I instead went with Bar-Kochva’s book.

@Bosslord Decrepit: They are! And I’m the opposite lol, I started out with Fantasy but was drawn to history much later. And I like where I ended up! History is so fun lmao

@Sagelady SubRosa: As ever with our Wise Woman’s wise advice! Thank you for the suggestion, I went ahead and copped it alongside Paul Kosmin’s “The Land of the Elephant Kings”. (Yet another title that has a massive appeal title-wise, second only to the Garden of the Gods.)


Heheheh, you guys, by the time I’m done with all these books, I’ll probably be the resident Seleucid expert.

At 0654 this morning, 4 Nov 2020, I concluded a fifth read of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonquest, book two of The Dragonriders of Pern. Enjoyed it as usual, though I felt it drags a bit for reasonably short time maybe third-fourths way through. It surprised me in containing one of my favorite events, which I misremembered as occurring near the beginning of book three. Speaking of which, I'll surely begin The White Dragon by day's end. Likely during lunch if not sooner.

At 0828 this morning, 12 Dec 2020, I concluded a fifth read of Anne McCaffrey's The White Dragon, bringing to a close her Dragonriders of Pern Series. I once considered it the best of the bunch, and a highlight of my fantasy library. I now consider it on par with the others. It doesn't help that between reads I forgot that I ought to have read McCaffrey's Harper Hall trilogy between Dragonquest and White Dragon. Still, it's an enjoyable read and an easy recommend.

Prior to writing this post I checked online to verify that Harper Hall indeed comes before White Dragon chronologically. I am greatly surprised to learn that there are way more Pern novels that I assumed, several not by McCaffrey. Dragonflight, the first written, is sixteenth chronologically! I thought I had them all. Not even close!

I'm tempted but not get committed to continue on with the Harper Hall books.

Decrepit, I read Dragonflight quite some time ago and found it enjoyable.