Lit Review: Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind

Book 1 in Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle:
 The Name of the Wind

I am by no means nor by any stretch of the imagination, a connoisseur of fantasy novels, but in my current reading mood for fantasy fiction, Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind is definitely up there on my list of top reads.
I discovered this while browsing through Foyles on Charing Cross, whilst on one of my many many bookbinges. It was also one of those rare occasions that I gave in to the desire to do a search for the title on Goodreads. 

With some encouragement from the kind souls at Foyles who review the books that grace their impressive shelves and the four+plus+plus rating on Goodreads, this book was first on the "to get" pile. 

Typically, I am quite a sceptic of the over-embellished reviews that are embossed on the jackets of most books. And, there have been more than one occasion where I've disagreed with the over 4-star ratings on Goodreads. 

It was no different in this case but curiousity got the better of me and I went ahead and got both this and the second book in Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle - The Wise Man's Fear, despite, and maybe because of my scepticism. Moreover, I simply could not resist the urge after I saw the picture of the author on Goodreads. :)

It would take me a couple of months to warm up to it, and I still had a shelf filled with books from my earlier binges that I hadn't indulged in. In some way, I was disappointed that I didn't pick this one up first. In fact, crazy as it may sound, I actually packed the book along with another during a recent trip to Europe. Alas, I didn't manage to read it as Drizzt Do'urden got my attention. 
Well, I finally did, and boy, was it worth the wait. 

Within the first few chapters, I realised that this was being written in a biographical form told by the main protagonist, Kote or Kvothe the Bloodless. Kvothe the Arcane. Kvothe Kingkiller.

If I am honest, I admit I was a bit worried about that but the deeper and deeper I got in to the book, the more and more I got drawn into Kvothe's life. At times, I felt the story (and please do forgive the appalling and awful comparison) was like a darker, juicier, more intricate, mature and way better version of a certain Potter, Weasley, Granger journey through Hogwarts. Well, at least during this phase of Kvothe's life that's documented in this first book.

Perhaps it's the reference to Kvothe's time at The University, and the trouble that somehow found a way to gravitate toward him. Whatever the reason may be, I loved it. It's artfully and beautifully written in my humble opinion. A joy to read and get lost in. Rothfuss manages to draw you in slowly and skilfully keeping you glued to every page. 

Truly enjoyable and deserving on the four+plus+plus reviews!! I can't wait to indulge in the second book.. 

But here's my conundrum. When is the third book - Doors of Stone -  coming out Mr. Rothfuss? Then there's book 2.5 - The Slow Regard of Silent Things.. I ask because my problem is that I have this strange thing where I simply have to have ALL the related books in a series in my possession. Otherwise the wait would be excruciatingly painful and not to mention, rather annoying. 

To add to salt to the wound, upon publication of the books in the northern hemisphere, I would then have to add XX months before it finally lands on the shores of my humble tropical nation.

Oh well. 

Lit Review: Felix J Palma - The Map of Time and The Map of the Sky

If you've wandered round a few of KL's bookstores in the past few years or found yourself at the Big Bad Wolf Books, you've probably chanced across these two books by Spanish author - Felix J Palma: The Map of Time; and The Map of the Sky. Me, I've seen the latter book grace the bestseller / top new releases.

Granted, neither books are new releases. Señor Palma's The Map of Time was published in 2008 and The Map of the Sky in 2012. The third installation in this series is expected... hmm.. I don't know. Will have to ask Simon and Schuster, Señor Palma's publishers.

So, when I recently stumbled on these two books marked at a ridiculous price of US$2.50 each (that's the price for a cup of café allongé a.k.a. coffee - in Paris), so I got them both. 

Like all books, I will offer up a word of advice - ignore the over-embellished roaring reviews that are embossed on the jacket or cover of the books. Aside from being the marketing tools publishers use to get readers' buy-in, they're pretty worthless in terms of guiding you through the book itself. 


The Map of Time


Right then, The Map of Time, takes place in a Victorian setting and revolves around the principal protagonist, a certain Mr. H.G. Wells. 

Yes, that's Herbert George "H.G." Wells, the author of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds and not the one that appears in SyFy Channel's TV Series Warehouse 13. 

The main premise of the book starts in London at the turn of the century being gripped by a rather unusual bout of Time Travel, brought on by the popularity of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. This unwittingly brings Wells into the picture as the most unlikely saviour (for lack of a better word) of the day.

The story is told in three interweaving parts by a "narrator" who is kind of annoying, so if you can ignore the annoying fashion with which he delivers the story, you should be OK. 

I wont give the story away but suffice to say that there's a crime solving murder element, solutions that involve a rather elaborate sleight of hand and the future, with romance and a good dose of mystery thrown into the mix for good measure. 

It was a delightful read, for Señor Palma wonderfully infused the essence of the Victorian charm into the narrative, allowing my imagination to travel back in time to a bygone time in a city I was once exiled to, London. Pun, intended. 

But, the plot was a bit difficult to follow, especially in the third part, as I had to pause from the reading and go back a couple of pages to retrace my steps. Maybe it's me.. possibly. By the time I approached the end of the book, I remember thinking, "what the hell..?" 

Though it isn't one of those books that leaves you breathless and gasping for more, it is one that may make you utter the inquisitive "hmm" or the unexpected "huh.." On that note, essentially it is an enjoyable and entertaining leisure read. 


The Map of the Sky

Now, I had a rather more enjoyable experience with the sequel - The Map of the Sky. Again set against a Victorian backdrop, this time the story evolves around the romantic exploits of an American millionaire's attempt to court an English socialite. H.G. Wells is again unwittingly thrown into the mix after his War of the Worlds becomes the central pivot of this abnormal romance. 

Undoubtedly, there were moments - especially early on - where I found myself gazing rather confusingly into the cosmos of my ceiling wall, attempting to comprehend the appearance of two plots, one of which would dominate the story. I ignored that mildly irritating fork in the road of this tale and continued reading it, despite the protests that were being hurled at me by my deeper conscience. 

Truth be told, I got annoyed at the "narrator" again and it was a wee bit lengthy in parts. I really had to restrain the urge to skim through some parts. Persevere.... 

The appearance of the seemingly 'abandoned' plot toward the end did somewhat unsettle me, especially as it felt relatively rushed compared to the more elaborate way in which the predominant plot was unravelled. Perhaps it is the curse of the sequel.. I've no idea. 

Having said that though, it was to me a rather compelling read. The lyrical storytelling is flavoured with a healthy dose of the curious, weird and sometimes wonderful, as well as an elegant tinge of humour. I liked it, even with its weird twists and turns. I simply couldn't put it down, nor could I leave it at home whenever I dashed out on errands or to meet friends. 

The thing is, growing up I avoided literary classics in my misspent youth, preferring the outdoors to the dreary prospect of reading boring old novels. Even if I was forced to read them, I forgot the plot fairly quickly, so none of the classics were ever retained in my long-term memory. 

However, having read these two books, I felt compelled to correct the mistakes of my youth and get copies of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds and The Time Machine; Bram Stoker's Dracula and Jules Verne's A Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Don't ask me why. 

And, unashamedly, I can safely say that I am kind of looking forward to Señor Palma's third and final installation of this Victorian trilogy. 

Lit Review: Manhunt by Christian Jacq

Christian Jacq.. There's a name that is not hard to forget. He was the author of the infamous series of books on Ramses, arguably history's most prolific Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. 

Jacq's Ramses Series

My elder sister had owned and read all five of Jacq's books on Ramses, and I soon followed suit. Jacq's five books - The Son of Light; The Temple of a Million Years (The Eternal Temple); The Battle of Kadesh; The Lady of Abu Simbel and Under the Western Acacia - all sit proudly on my ancient Egypt half of my bookshelf. 

In my mind, I could play out the different characters in the books from the Pharaoh himself to his beloved Nefetari. I even recall the characters coming to life in my head as my gaze wandered out the window of my Emirates flight into Egypt some years back. Granted, my perceptions were tainted by the romance Egyptologists speak off during the time I was reading the series. 

His subsequent books were not quite the same, but I quickly forgave Jacq, thinking it in part due to the overwhelming response Ramses got, thus eclipsing the immediate literary offerings that followed. So, I forgave him. 

However, since indulging myself in the highly acclaimed Ramses series and the Queen of Freedom trilogy, I had not picked up another Christian Jacq book that followed. That is until very recently. 

The cover of Jacq's Manhunt

When I stumbled on Jacq's 2006 edition of Manhunt recently, I have to admit that I did engage in a rather cursory and hasty skim through the premise of the story on the back cover. I told myself, why not? I got it..  

After reading Manhunt, which is the first in the Vengeance of the Gods series, I really did spend quite a bit of time wondering, "what supernatural force possessed me, compelling me to get this book?"  After mulling over that question, I thought, 'perhaps the stars were not quite aligned that particular day?"Anyhow, I read this in a day and categorically decided that I will not bother with the sequel. I will even go so far as to hazard an uneducated guess and be rather content at what may transpire in the subsequent books. 

Don't get me wrong, it was not that it was not readable. It is, somewhat.. Was it enjoyable? Hmm.. debatable, at best. Consider one watching a complete no-brainer, one-does-not-need-to-think kind of TV show, where the brain is in safe-mode, as an apt comparison. There are moments that provide some entertainment value. But, it does not set fire to the imagination, nor does it trigger any particular emotional response in your brain's limbic system. 

It is not exactly bone-numbingly boring as there are the odd moments when one does feel like giving some of the characters a good knock on the head or a kick in the solar plexus. It's annoying. There are several likeable characters and that is rather where the limit of my attempt at kindness is. This is one story that will not process beyond the temporal lobe of my cerebral cortex to remain etched in my long-term memory. 

In short - forgettable, regrettably. Sorry Mr. Jacq.