A Game of Thrones - George R R Martin

It seems I have established a new personal ritual of re-reading the entire series after each book comes out.

I took a strong dislike to the samples I had heard of Roy Doltrice's audio version of these books, but having listened to and enjoyed John Lee's A Feast of Crows, I found I couldn't stop there. Unfortunately my initial reaction to the Doltrice version has not softened.

Mr Doltrice has a fine speaking voice and my only issue with his reading generally is his failure to correct the mistakes he makes ('seven seas' instead of 'seven kingdoms' or 'king landing' instead of 'kings landing' etc..). The real problem appears when he does the character's voices. Granted he does an excellent Pycelle, Maester Aemon or Old Nan, but those successes are few and far between.

I am not sure the origin of Tyrion's accent, but with Peter Dinklage's Tyrion as a frame of reference, for me this voice fails in every way. It is also disconcerting that Tyrion, the three eyed crow and Bran's would be assassin all have the same squeaky voice.

The pompous British nobleman would probably work well for some characters, Wylis or Wendel Manderly for example, but fails completely when applied to every single secondary character of noble birth in the book. When Theon Greyjoy and Jorah Mormont have the same voice, something is wrong, but when Theon Greyjoy and Haggo sound the same it indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the text. Why does Jhogo get a rough, halting, foreign voice and his bloodriders do not?

All these complaints have not prevented me from consuming these audio books in every spare moment, but I would love to see them re-done

Also, as Nick Maher so eloquently put, re-reading the books is like watching a car crash in slow motion:

Lord Walder is my father's bannerman ... He would never offer me any harm. Unless he saw some profit in it, she added silently

Catelyn Stark of Lord Walder Frey

And what shall I do with a hundred swords my lord?

Eddard Stark to Renly

Permalink - Comments - Tags: Books,Review,GRRM

A Feast For Crows - George R R Martin

I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood

Permalink - Comments - Tags: Books,Review,GRRM

A Dance with Dragons - George R R Martin

I can't say much about this book without breaking into a spoiler ridden rant that will go on for five pages, so I will just say it was awesome, it was worth the wait and bring on the Winds of Winter.

Permalink - Comments - Tags: Books,Review,GRRM

Mapping of The Ionian Mission Complete

My map of the events in The Ionian Mission is complete. From blockade in the Worcester, a return to dear Suprise and an encounter with the three Beys.

When I finished The Surgeons Mate, after an 18 month slog on that book, I decided to make a concerted effort to finish this one sooner. I am as proud as Lucifer (upon my soul) that my schedule of weekly updates has allowed me to finished this map in a year and a day. There was lots of guess work on this one, with fictional ports from the north coast of Africa to the Ionian shore, but I hope my logic has resulted in charts that reflect the events reasonably well.

I have linked to Charles Keller's wonderful map and article of the Torgud, Kitabi & Suprise engagement, as it was a huge help in the final stages of the book. Although I differ slightly with him on the location of that battle.

At this prodigious rate I will be finished in eleven years, so on to Treason's Harbour. Wish me luck.

Permalink - Comments - Tags: Patrick O'Brian,Books

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

A very clever novel. Prose and plot that would probably stand on its own.

as if her form were knit with iron and whiskey instead of bones and blood.

Strangely, built on top of 'The Wizard of Oz' turns this book into something special.

The alien girl- she called herself Dorothy- was by virtue of her survival, elevated to living sainthood. The dog was merely annoying

Permalink - Comments - Tags: Books,Review

[First Page] [Prev] Showing page 90 of 127 pages [Next] [Last Page]