Something Completely Different

Graffiti, Chuska Mountains, New Mexico

Books Received: July 30 to August 12

Books Received: July 30 - August 12, 2011

Review: The Urban Fantasy Anthology Edited by Peter S. Beagle & Joe R. Lansdale

The Urban Fantasy Anthology (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) is edited by two powerhouses in genre and beyond – Peter S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale. They have amassed 19 previously published stories, 1 original story and 4 non-fiction essays that attempt to capture what the genre of urban fantasy really is. The result end up being more of a highlight of the identity crisis of urban fantasy rather than a clarification, while providing some interesting and fun reading.

As I discuss the details of the anthology below, I give my thoughts and reactions in the order the material is produced in the anthology. The resulting review ranges from short reviews of individual stories, to reactions to the essays, and ends up being nearly an essay of its own.

Introduction. Beagle writes a good and informative introduction to anthology that I largely find myself agreeing with. He outlines the evolution of urban fantasy from its beginnings, with a general evolution from what this anthology categorizes as mythic fiction to paranormal romance and finally to noir fantasy. Beagle spends a good bit of time discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer and essentially credits it with the creation of paranormal romance and the shift away from mythic fiction in urban fantasy. A quick look at the original copyright dates for the stories in the anthology reveals how this is an over simplicity – the earliest paranormal romance story was first published in 1989, predating Buffy. The oldest story included is actually from the noir fantasy section (which is presented as the final evolution of urban fantasy in this introduction) and was first published in 1983. This introduction presents a rather simplistic evolution of urban fantasy, the dates alone show that things evolved on their own and at different times, with their popularity ebbing and waning on yet another timescale. Not that I really thing Beagle would disagree with this, it’s just that he oversimplifies things a bit to get his point across.

Mythic Fiction

“A Personal Journey into Mythic Fiction” an introduction to mythic fiction by Charles de Lint (2011). De Lint presents a very personal journey of his becoming a writer and developing his style, which if you’ve read de Lint before is easily recognizable. His reflections quickly reminded of me why this is sort of urban fantasy I tend to enjoy the most.

“…the biggest difference is that mythic fiction has room for a story to be told at a slower pace. The preternatural elements are present, not only for their coolness factor (werewolves and witches and vampires, oh my!), but because fairy tales and mythology tap into a deeper part of the psyche than an adventure story can reach.”

“A Bird that Whistles” by Emma Bull (1989). This story very quickly reminded me of why I love mythic fiction so much. A young musician is taught by a fae, while he just may have taught the fae a thing or two. This is a pleasant and easy to read story with more depth than readily apparent. When it ended I was sad – I really wanted to know more.

“Make a Joyful Noise” by Charles de Lint (2005). While I wouldn’t place this among de Lint’s best work, it was a very pleasant reminder of how much of love his writing. This story of a couple of corvid (crow) immortals amuse themselves by helping out a ghost is at once melancholy and irreverent.

“The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories” by Neil Gaiman (1996). I had a huge sense of déjà vu while reading this story – whether real or not, this is that sort of story.* It’s a story about Hollywood – as much about the past as it is about the current. I love that the editors include this in mythic fiction to highlight a belief that all myths aren’t all ancient. The contemporary world is creating myths all its own and the recent past has as well. It’s really hard to separate the fact from the fiction in a story that Gaiman clearly writes about himself.

*Of course the déjà vu is real since I have read this story before in one of Gaiman’s collections.

“On the Road to New Egypt” by Jeffrey Ford (1995).  A driver in New Jersey picks up a hitch-hiking Jesus and the Devil joins them. This irreverent and surreal journey has Jesus and the Devil palling around with both less and more separating them than you may expect. The ride was fun, but the little shit in me couldn’t help but be disappointed that Ford didn’t take it even further.

“Julie’s Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle (1997). Beagle’s story of a young woman who unintentionally releases a unicorn from an ancient painting is an interesting exploration that ultimately didn’t stick with me very far.

Mythic Fiction. These five stories all look deep into the past in one way or another. They tend to be melancholic yet ultimately hopeful with a strong feeling of retrospect, even when they are set in the now.  I think it must be this introspective and backward look that touches me in a deeper and more meaningful way than other stories in this anthology.

Paranormal Romance

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Urban Fantasy” an introduction to paranormal romance by Paula Guran (2011). Guran presents a very interesting and rather defense exploration of the origins of paranormal romance while she eschews the term – she prefers the far more awkward urban fantasy/paranormal moniker. Guran seems unhappy with the stories included in this section of the anthology and goes on further to say that this sort of story doesn’t lend itself to short fiction. I disagree. I believe that it’s more likely that the majority of writers in this sub-genre don’t write short fiction. Guran’s essay quickly becomes rather tedious – she rambles, she’s defensive and I have no better understanding on what this sub-genre is. However, Guran does correctly point out that while Buffy certainly played a big role in the popularity of this sort of fiction, it was not the origin of it. The anthology still calls it paranormal romance, but apparently the authors writing it hate the term. There are of course good reasons for this – particularly where there is disparity between how male and female writers are treated when writing essentially the same thing – how many male urban fantasy writers earn the label paranormal romance. It is also noted that there are plenty of examples that do fit firmly into a label of paranormal romance – often more from a traditional romance background. Ultimately, it’s unfortunate that Guran’s essay comes off as a bit too defensive and whiney in places and looses the effect that it could have.

“…all the fiction collected [in this section] has something in common: an intersection of “the other” – the magical, the strange, the weird, the wondrous, the dark that illumines, the revelation of the hidden – with the mundane, the world we know.

Our world is in perpetual need of this otherness. It entertains and, at its best, enlightens. We need both.”

“Companions to the Moon” by Charles de Lint (2007). A young woman begins to question her relationship and suspect her partner of infidelity, but she’s not prepared for the truth. Inclusion of this story in the paranormal romance section is curious – there is a dominant romantic aspect that is probably the reason behind the placement, but the tone and style of de Lint’s writing probably make this a better example of mythic fiction. And as with de Lint’s earlier story, his writing style appeals to me at a very personal level.

“A Haunted House of Her Own” by Kelley Armstrong (2009). A couple purchase their dream home in hopes of converting it into a successful bed and breakfast – and nothing makes for a more successful B&B than a haunting. This is another curious story to place in this section of the book – I felt this was much more of a standard horror story. A pretty darn good horror story.

“She’s My Witch” by Norman Partridge (1995). A passion-filled relationship between two youths, with a pretty standard dominant male (though not abusive) and submissive girl. Only the twist is that he’s dead and she’s the witch who brought him back. In this story we have a much better fit for what this anthology calls paranormal romance – someone who is down, who is overlooked, comes into their own and others come to regret it.

“Kitty’s Zombie New Year” by Carrie Vaughn (2007). A New Year’s party comes to a shocking halt when a zombie shows up at the door. The story itself has much more in common with horror than paranormal romance, though Vaughn’s novels certainly fit the label. I love that the ‘heroic’ actions aren’t exactly traditionally heroic.

“Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs (2009). Witches and werewolves falling in love. This is paranormal romance. And a pretty enjoyable story as well.

“Hit” by Bruce McAllister (2008). A hit man is hired by angel to kill a vampire. The price – redemption. Here is yet another example of a misplaced story – this is more of a combination of mythic fiction and noir fantasy than paranormal romance. But, forget the labels, this is one of the best stories in the anthology.

“Boobs” by Suzy McKee Charnas (1989). “Boobs” is the story of a teenage girl’s journey to early womanhood by being the first in her class to grow real breasts and have her period. Then she turns into a werewolf and eats the boy who picks on her. It completely lacks romance but otherwise fits well. While I can’t relate to this story on a personal level, I imagine that many female readers will find this a rather enjoyable read.  

“Farewell, My Zombie” by Francesca Lia Block (2009). The general theme of this section of the book is that stories that don’t really belong are forced in. This story is probably the most forced - there is no romance, heck, it could be argued that in spite of the zombie title and talk of zombies in the story that it has no real speculative component at all, particularly considering that I’m not sure the main character is actually sane. This is true horror – a mother suffering extreme grief from the loss of her son, to the point where she seems to have invented an alternative world. Either that or zombies really are out to get her, it’s a bit unclear. Whatever it is, this is the most powerful story in the anthology.

Paranormal Romance. The introduction and following stories reveal a fundamental aspect of this sub-genre – it suffers from an identity crisis. It doesn’t know what it is or what it wants to be. Most of the stories included seemed to be forced in to lend it legitimacy. I suppose they could be attempting to broaden the sub-genre that becomes limited by using the paranormal romance label. Or maybe there really is a lack of good short stories to include here. Whatever the cause, the result is that the stories included don’t feel quite right. Guran seems intent on ducking and dodging the romance side of the label and Beagle and Lansdale seem at a loss on which stories to include. It almost seems they try so hard to avoid the Buffy-wanna-be’s that they missed the boat entirely on the sub-genre so many love. Well, get some confidence, stand up for yourself and kick some ass – don’t shy away from what the genre is. It is paranormal romance, sometimes less and sometimes more on the romance. Romance can be of the sexual/attraction side or a something taken out of Romanticism with 21^st Century wish-fulfillment and kick-ass adventure. And the best of it has a near post-modern vibe. It works, people buy it, people are entertained, and some people will deride it. However, I wish there was more of deeper discussion on societal pressures that make this so popular – such as a reaction to the post-cold war world of anonymous terrorism and fear of the dark, complete lack of confidence in our government’s ability to govern and the rising equality of women, minorities, and others that still has a ways to go. Or maybe we all just wish we could release some kind of an inner-beast.

Noir Fantasy

“We are not a Club, but We Sometimes Share a Room” an introduction to noir fantasy by Joe R. Lansdale (2011). This anthology really develops into a fascinating journey through the subgenres of urban fantasy with the three introductions: first justifying the need for a label, then bitching about a bad label and the search for a new one, and finally Lansdale concludes with a very eloquent discussion on the lack of meaning of labels and how writers don’t (or at least shouldn’t) write for a label. With that you know that the stories to come will bust right through the label.

“The White Man” by Thomas M. Disch (2004). Here’s another story that is hard to call truly speculative or even horror as many of the noir fantasy subgenre trend to. It could be speculative – perhaps there really are vampires in the story. Or perhaps it’s African folklore coming into conflict through immigrants in America – and of course the white man. Or maybe it’s just a charismatic preacher manipulating a young girl. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s certainly a thought-provoking story.

“The fiction has the stink of urban about it…either because they take place in the city, or display the weaknesses of humanity in large numbers and close quarters. The terror is often due to the actions of people: pollution, street crime, over population, dehumanization, and so on. What supernatural elements there are, are dragged out of the haunted house and into the tract house and walk-up apartment, or they take place in the wasteland of some horrid aftermath brought on by the mistakes of civilization.”

“Gestella” by Susan Palwick (2004). This and the next story are the anti-paranormal romance stories of this anthology. The werewolf in this story is submissive, she is not empowered, she is the victim. And this is not overcome as would be expected. I love what the story does, though I can’t say I enjoyed the story.  

“The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” by Holly Black (2009). A young woman is infected – she may become a vampire or she may be able to wait out the infection and live. She has a choice to make. Like the story before it, this could be paranormal romance, only it turns out be more of an answer against paranormal romance. This one works – the end is absolutely terrific, heavy on the terror.

“Talking Back to the Moon” by Steven R. Boyett (2011). This is a post-apocalyptic journey through the remains of LA with a young girl and a centaur. The story is subtle and surreal, and I simply wanted more. There is so much behind this that I want to know – this one should be a full novel.  

“On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks” by Joe R. Lansdale (1989). More post-apocalyptic fun, this time in typical Lansdale style as a bounty hunter catches his target only to be captured by a weird zombie religious cult. My instinct would not have been to classify this as any form of urban fantasy, but that doesn’t take away from this being one of the best stories in the anthology.

“The Bible Repairman” by Tim Powers (2005). This is a surreal story of an old man who repairs bibles. He’s damaged physically and emotionally, a consequence of his former profession. A new job comes up, one he can’t refuse. This is a story I need to read again – it’s deep and cynical, though maybe not as much as on first take. Another of the best offered in the anthology.

“Father Dear” by Al Sarrantonio (1983). “Father Dear” is another dark, surreal tale that feels post-apocalyptic even though it’s not. It’s the story of son’s reaction to the destruction inflicted by an abusive father destroys with a bit of twist.

Noir Fantasy. It’s either funny, ironic or some odd combination of a bunch of things that the noir fantasy section doesn’t really have any true noir stories. More seem to be post-apocalyptic, though a dark, surreal mood may be the more common thread. This seems another example of forcing a label that just doesn’t fit, or intentionally choosing stories that don’t fit the label. Either way, it serves to highlight the identity crisis contemporary urban fantasy suffers. It’s also interesting that the stories included in this section are more stylistically diverse – from second person to first person to subversion and all with a surreal aspect that is just as other-worldly as the speculative components.

The bottom line is that this is a solid anthology, all the stories are good, and there is a distinct lack of the dud story all too common in anthologies. There aren’t a lot of truly great stories, but all are entertaining and good enough. I’m not sure if the goal of the anthology is met – I can’t say that I really have any better of an idea of what contemporary urban fantasy is than I did before reading it. It’s certainly a range from mythic fiction to paranormal romance to fantasy noir, though many of the stories chosen work mostly as a reaction to the labels given. Perhaps this anthology is more of a statement of what urban fantasy isn’t than what it is. Either way, it shows the huge range of contemporary urban fantasy as well as reminding us that it’s been around for a while. Mostly, The Urban Fantasy Anthology highlights the identity crisis that the genre/sub-genre faces. No one seems to know what urban fantasy is. A few have ideas of what it should be, but the reader is left with ‘I’ll know it when I see it’ rather than easy definitions with clearly defined boundaries. I suppose, that’s just how it should be.

Something Completely Different

For the past 13 years or so me and a few friends have been homebrewers. Our production has been down over the past few years, but that didn't stop me from planting hops in my yard a couple of years ago. This year it looks like I'll finally get a crop. It seems a bit early, so hopefully there will be more coming and we'll be able to brew an entire batch with homegrown hops. But I'm quite happy to see this.

Northern Brewer Hops, August 2011

Mini-Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

Following up on his successful debut, Hounded (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound), Kevin Hearne’s second book in The Iron Druid Chronicles, Hexed (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound), offers another satisfying dose of action-filled, wish-fulfillment, urban fantasy fun. This will be brief, because my thoughts on Hexed pretty much mirror what I wrote about Hounded.

In Hounded, the 2000-year old druid, Atticus, faced off against ancient Irish gods and a few witches. In Hexed, the fight is with more witches, a few succubi, a fallen angel and a couple of radical witch hunters. Atticus is once again joined by his vampire and werewolf friends and his ever-present dog through a number of supernatural fights in the vicinity of Phoenix, Arizona.

These books are simply fun – don’t think too hard about them and the world that Hearne creates, just sit back and enjoy the ride. The takes on various pantheons of gods are fun, the action satisfying and it’s all woven together with a geek humor that refuses to take itself seriously. Another huge positive (for me anyway) is that they are short and fast to read – Hexed took me just a couple of days to read, and I could easily have knocked it out over a relaxing afternoon (not that I ever had one of those). Hearne’s writing is quickly becoming something of a comfort read for me, probably in no small part due to them being set in Arizona.

The next book in the series, Hammered (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound), is already out on the streets and Del Rey has picked up Hearne to write more books in the series with Tricked coming in April, 2012.

Whisky Review: Ardbeg Uigeadail

Single Malt

Non-chill Filtered

Style/Region: Islay

Age: Unspecified

Cask Type: Sherry

Alcohol: 54.2%

Water added: Yes

Nose: Heavy peat smoke. After water was added a briney oak with a hint of sweetness overtakes the peat smoke.

Mouth Feel: Delightfully thick and oily.

Flavor: Complex with a peppery oak and hint of sweetness that is slowly overtaken by a light smooth peat smoke.

Finish: Smooth smoke and peat that lingers and lingers and lingers...

Overall Impressions: This is the real deal – Ardbeg has a reputation of being among the best of the best and it is deserved. This is an Islay whisky unlike most – it’s complex and subtle, more than just peat and smoke. Much more. When you drink Uigeadail you can understand why the old Gaelic translation of whisky (uisge beatha) is ‘water of life’ (yes, folks on the SFF blog, the ‘water of life’ is whisky, not worm juice). Though as I enjoy a glass on a warmish July evening I think that perhaps this is more of a cold weather drink. Of course is there a time that you shouldn’t drink the ‘water of life’?

Books Received: July 16 - 29

Books Received: July 16 - 29, 2011

A Quick Update

I know I've been terrible at producing real content around here. All I can say is the job, plus travel, plus family (2 young kids), plus attempts at having a social life, plus a desire for at least 6 hours of sleep a night equals not much time for reading and/or blogging.

I finished up Hexed by Kevin Hearne (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound). My reaction is pretty much the same as for Hounded (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound). That will probably be just a mini-review when I get around to it.

I'm enjoying The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound). I'm writing my review as I go - it will be long and probably as much an essay about urban fantasy as a review of the anthology. It'll be unlike any review that I've written before.

Anyway, I'm off to Utah and the Arizona Strip for a quick field project so it'll be pretty quite for a few days.

Something Completely Different

Peas in the garden (actually a pic from last year - the peas are generally not doing as well this year for some reason).

Name it Gaiman

I don't usually jump on bandwagons around here (or at least I try not to), but I'm bored today and this sounds like a good idea to me. It turns out Pluto has a fourth moon that was just discovered. As yet, it has no name beyond the designation of P4. It seems that we are in the early stages of a viral movement to get the moon named after Neil Gaiman. Let's do it - spread the word and let's get Pluto's new moon named Gaiman.

#NameItGaiman

Upcoming Release: Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C. Esslemont

This morning I was looking through Transworld's catalog for the rest of 2011 and they have Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C. Esslemont (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound) slated for a December 8th, 2011 release (update - it now seems to be a January 12, 2012 release). They list the title as Orb Sceptre Throne (which surprises me because I find it kind of a silly and awkward title and expected it to change). So, fans of the Malazan world and it's greater story can rejoice. There is no cover art yet but they do have a synopsis (that is full of typos). I can't copy it, so I've transcribed it below (I try to preserve the typos in the transcription - there are lots):

The epic new chapter in the history of Malaz - the new epic fantasy from Steven Erikson's friend and co-creator of this extraordinary imagined world...

The tumult of great powers colliding has passed, leaving the city of Darujhistan and its good citizens to get one of their lives of politcking, bickering, trading and above all enjoying the good things it has to offer. However, this peace is illusory because of a treasure hunter, digging amongst the ancient burial grounds that surround the city, is about to uncover a hidden crypt, full of sealed vaults. Armed with magic-deadening otataral, he will open the last vault - the one no other dared touch - and in so doing will set free the most powerful and destructive of the Jaghut tyrant kings...

And fortune hunters are also at work far to the south of the Malaz. A fragment of Moon's Spawn, once the home of Aonmander Rake, Son of Darkness, crashed into the Rivan Sea and created a chain of small islands. Legends have already arisen around them, the most potent of which is that here is hidden the Throne of Night - claimed by some to be the seat of Dracoinus, ruler of Eternal Night, and by others to be the throne of Mother Dark herself. Either way, all who seek this ancient artifact - from magic-weilding mages and battle-scarred warriors to a Malazan army deserter called Grift - believe it will bestow unlimited power upon the eventual possessor. The stakes are high, greed is rife, betrayal inevitable and murder and chaos lie in wait...

Books Received: June 27 - July 15

Books Received: June 27 - July 15 2011

Something Completely Different

When life and work get busy this series tends to get overlooked. So, it's a been a while. The picture below is of the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge that straddles the Arizona-Nevada border and Colorado River (it's about 800 feet above the river). Not only is a cool bit of engineering, but it's special to me because I did the geologic investigation for it's design. I spent about 6 months in the field for the project that included geologic mapping, rappelling, lots and lots of drilling, helicopter recon and more mundane things like providing traffic control for the drillers. It was a lot of hard and often very miserable work (temperatures in the summer routinely hit 135 in shade (57 C) and there was pretty much no shade to be had - the rock got hot enough to cause second degree burns to exposed skin. And now it's awesome to see the project completed. A couple of weeks ago (when the picture was taken) was my first trip back to that area since I last did field work on the project. It was a nice experience, in spite of it being 115 in the shade (46C).

Hoover Dam Bypass, Nevada-Arizona

Review: The White-Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker

The Great Ordeal is the name of a vast army under the command of the Aspect-Emperor and purported God of Gods, Anasûrimbor Kellhus. They march north to confront the forces of the No-God and forestall a coming apocalypse. The Great Ordeal is a collection of ancient enemies and allies with a greater number than any army in thousands of years. However the land they travel through is barren, lacking water and food. They are surrounded by enemies, the half-man, half-animal Sranc that have numbers far greater than they. They are constantly attacked – they are hungry, tired and thirsty. They are doomed and dying. It is The Great Ordeal.

Unfortunately, my reading of The White-Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker (The Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) also felt like The Great Ordeal*. It was an effort to read from page one. I was starved for interest, I thirsted for understanding, and I was constantly harried by philosophical rantings through to the end. Frankly, even though I’ve raved about Bakker in the past and still consider myself a fan, I’m surprised that I finished this book.

The White-Luck Warrior is the second book of The Aspect-Emperor Trilogy and functions pretty much like you’d expect a middle book to. It takes the threads of the first book further, a lot of ground is covered (physically and philosophically), there is some cool action and a few pretty big reveals but nothing is really resolved and the book is left hanging on the cusp of something new. The Judging Eye (The Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) was a book that figuratively and metaphorically looked backward in time – The White-Luck Warrior is most often too wrapped up in the present to worry on the past or future. Presumably the third book, tentatively titled The Unholy Consult, will look to the future.

In The Judging Eye Bakker set out to write a much more accessible book than those in The Prince of Nothing Trilogy – a book that could be enjoyed on a more surficial level without sacrificing the deeper, intellectual and philosophical journey. I felt that The Judging Eye was a huge success in this approach. So I was surprised and dismayed that Bakker chose to not write The White-Luck Warrior in the same style – there is almost nothing accessible about it. The style is dense, the language is very technical and philosophical and there is an over-reliance on referencing the history and long-dead peoples of the world (and their long, unpronounceable names). Generally this makes for a hard, slow slog of a read that can only be stomached in short doses and fails to create any connection between the reader and the book.

The lack of accessibility is made worse by the overwhelming negativity of the book. Sure, this is the second book of trilogy – there should be despair and a general lack of hope. But Bakker takes this several orders of magnitude further. I cannot and will not pretend to understand much of the philosophical underpinnings of Bakker’s writing, but I will say that it doesn’t present humanity in a positive light. In combination with a harsh, caste society under the thrall of Kellhus, it becomes downright unbearable. Even the few attempts at dark humor Bakker attempted in The Judging Eye are lacking, leaving nothing hopeful to grasp. I understand this is largely the point, but again, it makes for hard, uninspired reading.

If you take the time to read an interview with Bakker or (god help you) read his blog, then you’ll get an impression of Bakker being rather unsympathetic towards readers who do not take the time and mental effort to read into the philosophical underpinnings of his books. After all, that is the point of them. He is also well aware that the choices he makes in his writing style will largely be inaccessible. Considering these, I must admit that I don’t have the time or inclination to read as deeply into this book as necessary (and quite possibly not the intellectual acumen).

 My family life and work life keep me so insanely busy that I only have short chunks to read in. And I’m usually both mentally and physically exhausted when it’s time to read. For me reading is a break – an escape. Yes, I read as a form of escapism. I’m not after pure pulp fiction, I generally like a good bit of meat with my fiction (as evidenced in my opinions of other books, including Bakker’s earlier work). But The White-Luck Warrior simply did not work for me, due both to Bakker’s choices in writing and my own situation. We didn’t fit. That’s a shame. I still believe that Bakker is one of the most important writers in the SFF field today, but with The White-Luck Warrior he has become even more of a niche that only the few will be able to enjoy.

*OK, perhaps my intro is harsh sounding and just a bit too clever and campy, but in the two months it took me to read this book I often referred to it in my head as The Great Ordeal and the slog of slogs (my typical time to read a book is 1-2 weeks, so 2 months was excruciating).

Dancing With Dragons

I came home from a couple of day sof travel to find this waiting. Awesome! Though the truth is that I won't be reading it anytime soon as I decided many years ago to wait until the series is complete before reading any more (I've read the first 3). I simply don't have the time to do the re-reads necessary to stay sharp on this series before each new book with such a long interval in between releases. Though I'm not complaining - George, take as long as you need to do it right. I've got plenty of good books to keep me busy while I wait.