March 19, 2009
The Great Hunt, Book Two of the Wheel of Time
Front Cover of The Great Hunt (UK Version)
- Author: Robert Jordan
- Front Cover Illustration: Lee Gibbons
- Back Cover Illustration: Daryl K. Sweet
- ISBN: 978-1-85723-027-7
- Publisher: Orbit Fantasy
The Forsaken are loose, the Horn of Valere has been found and the Dead are rising from their dreamless sleep. The Prophesies are being fulfilled – but Rand al’Thor, the shepherd the Aes Sedai have proclaimed as the Dragon Reborn, desperately seeks to escape his destiny.
But Rand cannot run forever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.
And the Pattern demands the Dragon.
Rand still denies that he is the Dragon Reborn, but the evidence keeps mounting up.
This book is a real taste of reading the pattern. Everyone is a thread, and this is where they really start getting knotted up. You’ve got one group travelling cross-country following another, one in the ways, and yet another in another world entirely! And they’reall crossing each others paths, helping and hindering each other as they go.
That’s what I like about this book, during the first book there were clues as to who the hero was going to be, but this book shows that there is no hero. Every individual person has their role in the ‘Pattern’ and each action has it’s own consequences, throughout the Wheel of Time.
I enjoyed the progress of the characters, they all show theour personalities even more, and the relationships are constantly growing and changing.
After the peek at the Dark One’s minions (AKA Prologue) the story story gets going, introducing more characters and locations, more plots and even another culture. All these help to build up to the climax of the book and as with all the other books in the series, don’t assume you know anything.
If you’ve read book one already, then you’ll be wanting to read this book anyway, but if this looks interesting, you need to find book one The Eye of the World
And just to add, I think that the ending of this book is possibly my favourite part of the entire series (I’ve read upto book 7).
March 6, 2009
Billibub Baddings
Banner advert for Billibub Baddings Podcast
The Case of the Singing Sword is set in the Prohibition Era, where crime runs rampant in the streets and a city divided into territories serves as the ultimate prize. Somewhere in this Underworld of Chicago, an enchanted weapon holds the key to ending The Gangland Wars. In the wake of The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, only one is man enough to stand up against Al Capone…
…a four-foot-one dwarf named Billibub Baddings.
via The Billibub Baddings Podcast » About This Podcast.
I started listening to this podcast based on the enjoyment I got from Morevi Remastered (also by Tee Morris), but was a bit sceptical as to how much I would get into it as I’m not really into Crime Fiction, and 1920′s Chicago. I’m glad I gave it a go!
I’m a big fan of epic fantasy, Dwarfs, Elves, Trolls, Magic, Sorcery, etc. and that is not what this is. This story follows Billibub Baddings, a Dwarf from another world, a world with Elves and magic, who ends up unceremoniously dumped into Chicago and has to find his place in this world.
The cast of the podcast does an amazing job, and the quality of production is great, I know I haven’t said anything bad about it yet, but it’s hard to find anything wrong. Billi’s sense of humour and attitude to life had me in stitches, and the high tension scenes had me, well, tense.
For a quick peek into the podcast itself listen to the Promo or Teaser and hear what Billi is like. The feed can be found through iTunes, or at www.teemorris.com
The book can be bought from or through Amazon(.com or .co.uk) in print or for Kindle(.com only)
- Author: Tee Morris
- Publisher: Dragon Moon Press
- ISBN: 978-1896944180
Now show Tee some respect and Subscribe or Buy.
February 26, 2009
Shadowmagic – by John Lenahan
Header showing the Shadowmagic artwork
“Hi, my name is Conor. Other than my father being a bit of an eccentric lunatic, my life was pretty normal until I got attacked in my living room and whisked away to Tir na Nog, the mystical land of the ancient Celts, where it turns out Dad is the usurped heir to the throne and everybody wants me dead because of some prophecy. Don’t you just hate when that happens?”
… from the books homepage www.shadowmagic.co.uk
The special edition hardcover
The new paperback edition cover
I first heard of this book from The Mythshow Podcast, with Gregory Lemon, and listened to it as the podcast that it originally was. It was and is available from podiobooks and is now available in Special Edition, numbered (There’s only 1000), Hardback, and comes out next week in a slightly more colourful Paperback edition. You can get both from amazon, and bookdepository.co.uk
This book is a lot of fun to listen to, and I’m glad that Harper Collins and The Friday Project have published it. John Lenahan is a TV Magician and was the voice of the toaster in Red Dwarf, he has a blog right here on WordPress, and from what I remember of the last episode of the podcast, the story was originally written for his son, as a bedtime story!!!
- Author: John Lenahan
- Publisher: The Friday Project Limited; Special limited ed edition
- ISBN-13: 978-1905548897
- Publisher: The Friday Project Limited (5 Mar 2009)
- ISBN-13: 978-1905548927
If you like fantasy, and are looking for something light to read/listen to, then this is the story you’re after. It’s aimed at young teenagers, but is suitable for all, and I mean ALL, ages.
I am just hoping that the success of this story inspires John to write more. We’re all looking forward to reading it.
February 8, 2009
The Eye of the World, Book One of The Wheel of Time
Front cover of the Eye of the World (UK Version)
- Author: Robert Jordan
- Front Cover Illustration: Lee Gibbons
- Back Cover Illustration: Daryl K. Sweet
- ISBN: 1-85723-076-0
- Publisher: Orbit Fantasy
There is a world of Light and Shadow, where good and evil wage war. It is the world of The Wheel of Time, the greatest fantasy epic ever written.
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again.
But one truth remains, and what mortal men forget, the Aes Sedai do not…
What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under Shadow.
‘EPIC IN EVERY SENSE’ Sunday Times
… Taken from the back cover of the book.
Emond’s Field is a quiet village in the Two Rivers, until one Winternight the village is overrun by Trollocs, and five young people who call this small village home, are sucked into the world of Aes Sedai, Trollocs, Myrddraal and The Dark One himself.
What do these people have to do with the Legend of the Dragon? You will only find out by reading this book.
An amazing start to one of the best Fantasy series’ I have ever read. Absolutely everything in this book has a purpose, if not further on in this book, then further on in the Series.
If you’re looking for a Fantasy series, that you just can’t put down, pick up “The Eye of the World”. You’ll love it.
January 23, 2009
The Eye of the World
Just started rereading The Eye of the World, Book One of “The Wheel of Time”.
I’ve had to start from the beginning again, as I got New Spring (The Prequel) and books 8-11 for xmas. It’ll be a while till I get through to 8 but it’ll be worth it.
I’ll be putting a review of New Spring up soon, and it shouldn’t be long ’til I’m through The Eye of the World so I’ll have a review of that up to.
