Latest Book Reviews and Comments
The Diamond Throne isn't an excellent book, but it's an enjoyable fantasy story. This may sound strange, but I actually enjoyed this book much more than the previous books that Eddings has written. I know that many people have criticized Eddings for writing about same characters with different names. I must also say that this is unfortunately true for this series. If you've read The Belgariad and The Malloreon, the characters feel very familiar.
I think that The Rivan Codex is a bit unnecessary book. The best way to describe this book is to say that it's a history book for the world that Eddings has created (it's a companion book for The Belgariad, The Malloreon, Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress). This book may offer some interesting information for die-hard Eddings fans, but other people shouldn't read it.
Pawn of Prophecy is the book that made Eddings a household name. In my opinion Pawn of Prophecy is readable, but it's not excellent. What really annoys me is that this book series has the usual "a boy becomes a hero" story line, which has been used too many times. Although this book isn't excellent, it's an enjoyable fantasy story for young and a bit older readers.
The Briar King is good fantasy for adults. I enjoyed The Briar King very much and I'm sure others will enjoy it too. This book is entertaining, interesting and well written. I can highly recommend this book to everybody who wants to read good high fantasy.
Wizard of the Pigeons may be a bit difficult to find, but it's definitely worth buying. If you like Megan Lindholm's books, you should read this book. I managed to find a used book from an antiquarian bookstore. I was amazed when I saw it on the shelf. I had to buy it and I read it during the next night. It was a beautifully written book and I liked it.
The Summer Tree has become a classic of fantasy literature. It's one of the most well-known books by Guy Gavriel Kay and it's also one of his best books. Although The Summer Tree isn't as good as the other Fionavar books, it's an excellent book. I enjoyed reading it and I had to buy the other books too.
I decided to re-read The Left Hand of Darkness, because I had forgotten most of it. I only remembered that I liked it very much when I read it a few years ago (it's been a long time since I first read it). Unfortunately I didn't like it very much this time. I think that The Left Hand of Darkness is worth reading, because it's a classic science fiction book, but unfortunately it's a mediocre and a bit boring science fiction book. (It's interesting how one's opinions can change over the years, so it's good to read certain books again.) I understand why some people think The Left Hand of Darkness is a great book, but there are much better and more complex science fiction books out there, so you don't necessarily have to read this book. Reading this book isn't a waste of time, but you can easily find something more interesting to read.
There are some people who don't like Tehanu, but I like it. Tehanu is completely different from the previous Earthsea books, but it's well written and interesting. I think that Tehanu was written for adult readers and that's why young readers shouldn't read it, because it contains certain philosophical things, which may be a bit difficult to understand. If you're interested in sword fights and sorcery, this book isn't for you. But if you want to read a story, which has depth, you should read Tehanu.
Debt of Bones is a short story and it's almost like a prequel to The Sword of Truth series. In my opinion this story is quite entertaining and it's definitely a lot better and more interesting than the recent books. Debt of Bones is a good choice if you want to read light fantasy.
The quality of this series has been declining after Faith of the Fallen and this new book is barely worth reading. I was very disappointed with this book. It seems that Terry Goodkind has grown tired of the series and doesn't want to write quality anymore. I hate Goodkind's philosophical preaching, because it's boring. This series should have ended a long time ago. I can't recommend this book to anybody, because I didn't like this book very much. I only read this book, because I wanted to know how the story continues.
It's simply amazing (or perhaps I should say shocking) how bad Terry Goodkind's new books have become after Faith of the Fallen. Chainfire is almost as boring and preaching as the two previous books, which is a bad thing. It's a shame that the quality of this series has dropped so low. This series used to be interesting and entertaining, but now it's just boring.
Wizard's First Rule is an entertaining fantasy book for adults. I think it's good to mention that this book can't be recommended to young readers, because it contains some adult themes. The story of this book is weird enough to be fascinating and the characters are interesting. There are a couple of annoying things, but otherwise this book is quite good. This book isn't perfect, but it's good entertainment for adults. If you want to read a good and entertaining fantasy book, you should consider reading Wizard's First Rule.
Naked Empire is one the worst fantasy books I've ever read. This book is amazingly boring and there's too much philosophical talk and annoying preaching. I honestly don't understand what happened to Terry Goodkind. He used to write entertaining and interesting fantasy books for adults, but not anymore. He should never have begun to write about his own philosophical views, because fantasy fans aren't interested in them. In my opinion a small amount of philosophy is okay, but when the pages are full of it, nobody wants to read about it. I can't recommend Naked Empire to anybody. If you've read Goodkind's earlier books and liked them, you'll be very disappointed with this book.
Faith of the Fallen is one of Terry Goodkind's best books. I know that this book contains lots of philosophy and moral issues, but all these things are still fresh and interesting, because Goodkind hasn't bored the reader with them yet. I have to admit that I like this book - the story is interesting and the writing is good. Faith of the Fallen is unfortunately the last good book of the Sword of Truth series. The quality of the series began to drop radically after this book.
The Pillars of Creation is a readable fantasy book, but it isn't very good. Although this book isn't excellent, it's a lot better than the books, which were published after it. The biggest mistake in this book was that Terry Goodkind introduced a new character and wrote mostly about this character's adventures. I'm not a big fan of The Pillars of Creation, but because it's readable and better than its sequel, I give it three stars.
This final book of The Tawny Man trilogy is an excellent fantasy book. It's a good conclusion to the series. I loved this book. :) It contained many interesting scenes and the especially the dragon scenes were fantastic. By the way, Fool's Fate features some events from The Liveship Traders, so it would be good to read The Liveship Traders before reading this series.
The Golden Fool is the second book of The Tawny Man and it continues the story which began in Fool's Errand. Robin Hobb has once again managed to write an entertaining and complex book. The character development is superb and the story is interesting. If you liked Fool's Errand, you must read this book.
It was great that Robin Hobb decided to continue the story of Fitz in The Tawny Man trilogy. Fool's Errand is a wonderful fantasy book and it was a pleasure to read it. This book has more depth and it's a bit darker than the previous Farseer books. In my opinion Fool's Errand contains one of the most touching and beautiful scenes ever written in modern fantasy. This scene alone makes this book worth reading. If you liked The Farseer Trilogy, you must read this book!
The story of the Vestrit family continues in this third book, which is the best book of The Liveship Traders. Robin Hobb weaves together all the storylines and the conclusion is simply fantastic. If you've read the previous books and liked them, you must read Ship of Destiny. The Liveship Traders is one of the finest fantasy trilogies ever written.
The first book of The Liveship Traders was a masterpiece and this second book is an even greater masterpiece. Robin Hobb continues to develop her characters in The Mad Ship and the story becomes more complex all the time. I must say that Kennit is definitely one of the most memorable villains in fantasy books ever. He's a complex and interesting character. I highly recommend this book to everybody.
Ship of Magic is a masterpiece of modern fantasy. It's a bittersweet, fascinating, complex and unpredictable story of the Vestrit family. This book is completely different from the Farseer books and the story is more complex. The character development is also more complex and the characters feel real and nuanced. If you haven't read Ship of Magic, I recommend you to do so. It's an excellent book.
Ursula K. Le Guin's first Earthsea book, A Wizard of Earthsea, is a real masterpiece of fantasy literature. In my opinion it's one of the best fantasy books ever written. Ursula K. Le Guin has managed to write an interesting and entertaining story, which appeals to different kind of readers. I think that children and young adults will find this book very good, but adults will probably appreciate the fine writing even more than children. If you call yourself a fantasy reader and haven't read this book, you should be ashamed of yourself. This book is a classic and everybody should read it.
It's difficult to find enough words to praise this book and the whole series, because George R.R. Martin has managed to create a perfect fantasy series. All I can say is that A Game of Thrones is a unique fantasy book and it's difficult to find similar books. I've read many fantasy books and I like all kinds of fantasy books, but there are certain books which are clearly above all other books. This book is one of those books. The complexity and richness of the characters and the events is truly amazing. If you're not familiar with this book, you should buy it. You won't regret it. A Game of Thrones is an unforgettable reading experience.
Assassin's Quest is the last book of The Farseer Trilogy. The touching and unique story of Fitz continues in this book. In my opinion Assassin's Quest is an entertaining and interesting fantasy book. Only a very skilled writer can write something like this. High fantasy doesn't get any better than this. I highly recommend this book to every fantasy lover. If you haven't read this book (and the previous books in this series), you should buy them. You'll love them. As some of you may already know, Robin Hobb continued the story of Fitz in The Tawny Man trilogy. If you like this book and The Farseer Trilogy, you should read The Tawny Man (Fool's Errand, The Golden Fool and Fool's Fate) too.
Royal Assassin continues the story of Fitz, a royal bastard. I started reading Royal Assassin when I finished reading Assassin's Apprentice and I was impressed by its quality, depth and style - this book was much better than the first part. The ending of this book is unique and quite memorable. I highly recommend this book to everybody, who wants to read good and entertaining fantasy.