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Seregil of Rhiminee

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THE READER’S VOICE

Book Reviews

Seregil of Rhiminee’s own thoughts on books they have read. These are reader-written book reviews, separate from Risingshadow’s editorial reviews.

260 book reviews
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Griffin's Daughter

BOOK REVIEW

Griffin's Daughter

Leslie Ann Moore

6/10Written Dec 28, 2008Edited Dec 28, 2008

Lesley Ann Moore's debut fantasy book, Griffin's Daughter (the first book of the Griffin's Daughter Trilogy), is quite an interesting book. I think it's the best romantic fantasy debut I've read this year.

Lesley Ann Moore writes good and fluent romantic fantasy. Griffin's Daughter is more original than many other new romantic fantasy books. I don't normally read romantic fantasy (I usually read epic high fantasy books), because some books are quite horrible and boring, but this time I found myself enjoying the story and wanted to read the whole book. It was quite nice to read something different.

Although some people might consider this book to be a young adult fantasy book, I think it's adult fantasy. The writing style is quite close to YA writing style, but there are some things, which make it adult fantasy.

In my opinion Griffin's Daughter was an entertaining book and after some consideration I decided to give it four stars for its entertainment values. If you're interested in reading entertaining romantic fantasy, this book is a good choice.

The Spawn of Cthulhu

BOOK REVIEW

The Spawn of Cthulhu

Lin Carter

8/10Written Dec 18, 2008Edited Dec 18, 2008

The Spawn of Cthulhu is an interesting anthology of Cthulhu fiction. It's a bit difficult to find these old anthologies nowadays, so I'm glad that I managed to buy this book.

The best short story in this anthology is H. P. Lovecraft's The Whisperer in Darkness. It's one of the best Cthulhu stories ever written, because it's a weird, fascinating and creepy story about the backwoods of Vermont. It's an excellent blend of horror and science fiction.

I also liked Clark Ashton Smith's The Tale of Satampra Zeiros, Robert E. Howard's The Children of the Night and August Derleth's The Return of Hastur. The other short stories were also good, but none of them can be compared to Lovecraft's story.

Lin Carter's notes and comments were interesting. They provided good information about Cthulhu mythology.

The Crimson Sword

BOOK REVIEW

The Crimson Sword

Eldon Thompson

6/10Written Dec 4, 2008Edited Dec 4, 2008

I recently re-read the first two books (The Crimson Sword and The Obsidian Key) of The Legend of Asahiel and I also read the third book (The Divine Talisman), so this review is meant for all of these three books.

I enjoyed reading these books, because they were entertaining fantasy books. I think I can say that there's always going to be a little boy inside of me and he's always going to like entertaining fantasy adventures. I've always been fascinated by fantasy adventures and I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy reading all kinds of fantasy books - in other words, I enjoy reading heavy fantasy books and lighter fantasy books.

I know that this series can't be compared to the works of George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb or Steven Erikson, but why should it be compared to them? It's nothing like them. I like heavy fantasy books very much, but sometimes it's nice to read something totally different. I've read so much heavy fantasy books recently that it was very relaxing to read these books, because they're pure entertainment for fantasy fans.

The writing style is mostly nice, but there are some rough spots. The Legend of Asahiel is Eldon Thompson's first fantasy series, so the rough spots are quite understandable. Every new writer has to struggle with some things, but all new writers always develop their writing skills during the writing process and so has Eldon Thompson. I think that he's developed nicely while he's been writing The Legend of Asahiel. I think I could compare his writing style to Terry Brooks' writing style, because it's a bit similar.

This series is an exciting, enjoyable and fast moving fantasy adventure for readers, who like good adventure stories. The first book starts moving forward quite fast and everybody who enjoyes adventures will be thrilled to read the rest of the book as fast as they can.

If you like Terry Brooks, you should seriously consider reading these books, because you'll probably like them very much. If you like heavy and gritty adult fantasy, you could try to read something different for a change, because you might find that you'll like these books.

Thunderer

BOOK REVIEW

Thunderer

Felix Gilman

9/10Written Jul 23, 2008

Felix Gilman's Thunderer is an excellent debut fantasy book. I liked Thunderer very much, because it was different from the usual fantasy books.

In my opinion Felix Gilman writes surpringly well for a debut fantasy writer. The world he created was interesting and different from normal fantasy worlds. The story was also interesting. I won't say more about the story, but I can say that it's worth reading.

I can recommend this book to all fantasy readers, who want to read something different.

Chapterhouse: Dune

BOOK REVIEW

Chapterhouse: Dune

Frank Herbert

2/10Written Jun 30, 2008Edited Jun 30, 2008

I know that some people like and praise the sequels of Dune as much as they can, but I don't praise them. The last books of the Dune saga are simply horrible and disgusting science fiction books, which have nothing to do with the high quality of the first book.

Chapterhouse: Dune is a disappointing conclusion to the Dune saga. I didn't like this book at all. In my opinion it's pure trash from start to finish.

If you like the first Dune book and the early sequels, you probably shouldn't read this book. I think you'll be very disappointed, if you try to read it.

Heretics of Dune

BOOK REVIEW

Heretics of Dune

Frank Herbert

2/10Written Jun 30, 2008Edited Jun 30, 2008

Heretics of Dune is a bad and horrible science fiction book. It's definitely one of the worst books I've ever read. I didn't think it was possible to write something as bad as God Emperor of Dune, but obviously (and unfortunately) it was possible.

I can give Heretics of Dune only one star, because it doesn't deserve more stars. In my opinion this series should've ended after Children of Dune, because the other books are unnecessary sequels.

God Emperor of Dune

BOOK REVIEW

God Emperor of Dune

Frank Herbert

4/10Written Jun 30, 2008

God Emperor of Dune is one of the weakest Dune books I've read. I was very disappointed with the quality of God Emperor of Dune. It's amazing how bad this book is. The three previous books were readable, but this book is barely worth reading.

I can't recommend God Emperor of Dune to anybody, because I don't like it. I'm sure that all readers who like the first book will dislike this book.

Children of Dune

BOOK REVIEW

Children of Dune

Frank Herbert

6/10Written Jun 30, 2008Edited Jun 30, 2008

I have to admit that I was disappointed with Children of Dune. It isn't the worst science fiction book I've read, but it isn't the best either. In my opinion Children of Dune is a mediocre science fiction book.

Children of Dune is a bit weak when compared to the first book, which is excellent in almost every possible way. I have to say that I don't understand how some people can praise this book, because I found it quite boring.

I can give this book only three stars, because I don't like it very much.

Dune Messiah

BOOK REVIEW

Dune Messiah

Frank Herbert

6/10Written Jun 30, 2008Edited Jun 30, 2008

I liked Dune very much, but Dune Messiah isn't as good a book as Dune. Dune Messiah isn't a bad book, but it simply isn't as enjoyable as Dune.

When I began to read Dune Messiah I expected to read something as fascinating and original as Dune, but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. I guess my expectations were too high, because the first book was great.

I can recommend this book to science fiction fans, but I must say that if you think that this book is as good as the first book, you'll be disappointed.

Shadows Return

BOOK REVIEW

Shadows Return

Lynn Flewelling

10/10Written Jun 25, 2008Edited Jul 23, 2008

I read this book a couple of weeks ago. I have to admit that I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, because I like Lynn Flewelling's fantasy books.

At first I was a bit afraid that the quality of this book might be bad, because long fantasy series have a tendency to become boring after the first books. Fortunately this book was quite good and the story was interesting.

I must say that Lynn Flewelling is a talented fantasy writer, who knows how to write good and entertaining adult fantasy. In my opinion this book is entertainment and it's not meant to be taken seriously.

If you've read the previous Nightunner books and liked them, you should read Shadows Return, because it continues the story of Alec and Seregil.

A Shadow in Summer

BOOK REVIEW

A Shadow in Summer

Daniel Abraham

8/10Written Jun 4, 2008Edited Jun 4, 2008

A Shadow in Summer is one of the best new fantasy books I've read during the last couple of years. It was a pleasant surprise, because I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. It isn't perfect, but it's very good.

This book is surprisingly original and well written for a debut fantasy book. The fantasy world is interesting and different. Daniel Abraham manages to avoid all the usual fantasy clichés, which is great, because I'm a bit tired of reading "a farmboy becomes a wizard" stories (some of these stories are entertaining, but most of them are often boring and annoying).

I liked A Shadow in Summer very much and I can highly recommend it for all fantasy fans, who want to read something different.

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft

BOOK REVIEW

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft

10/10Written Apr 30, 2008Edited Apr 30, 2008

Necronimicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft is a "must have" book for all Lovecraft fans, because it contains all the classic short stories, which made Lovecraft famous. It also contains black and white illustrations by Les Edwards and a map of Arkham.

The hardcover edition of this book is almost 900 pages long. It's a leather bound book and the black leather cover looks good. It's nice that Gollancz decided to publish this kind of a book.

In my opinion this book is a great collection of Lovecraft's short stories. The illustrations look beautiful and they add a nice touch to the fascinatingly weird stories.

If you're a Lovecraft fan, you should buy this book immediately. You won't regret it.