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Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated The Testament of Gideon Mack in Books
May 14, 2017
Gideon meets the Devil and he's not quite what he expected
This was a really good read. The novel is written in the style of a memoir and is pretty convincing. There are layers and layers of myths and legends throughout the novel and truth and lies become so merged that the reader is left wondering about the clarity of the protagonist and the statements and evidence of the editor and journalist who represent the story. The novel explores the life of Gideon Mack, who, like his father become a minister of the Christian church. Gideon however, has no real faith in god until his accident leads him on a journey of discovery in which he claims he meets the devil.
I thought the description of the devil was excellent and the significance of the shoes has baffled me a little, however, it may be the old, 'What is it like to walk in my shoes', I am undecided. I thought the book was well written and kept me hooked until the end. Good plot, good narrative voice and convincing read.
I thought the description of the devil was excellent and the significance of the shoes has baffled me a little, however, it may be the old, 'What is it like to walk in my shoes', I am undecided. I thought the book was well written and kept me hooked until the end. Good plot, good narrative voice and convincing read.
Rachel Maria Berney (114 KP) rated Norse Mythology in Books
Dec 4, 2018
A little informative and interesting
Contains spoilers, click to show
I love Neil Gaiman. I was so excited to read this book as I really enjoyed American Gods and jabe a love of Viking history. Right before reading this I read Stephen Fry's Mythology, unlucky for Neil and me. I can't help but compare the two and Gaiman's Norse Mythology comes up short. Whilst we do have access to more information of Greek myth than Norse myth, I don't think that's the entire reason that Norse Mythology is a hard read. The telling of the Norse stories doesn't have the flow I have come to expect from Gaiman, there is a strangled growth to it that makes for a choppy reading that is just hard work and not that enjoyable. Gaiman's style and what I enjoy about him is too constrained in this retelling of Norse myths, this may be due to a lack of evidence of Norse myth and history. I think it would have worked well online, as blog posts etc. As a book it is something easily put down, forgotten about and never finished.
David McK (3248 KP) rated Dark Prince (Greek Series, #2) in Books
Jul 25, 2020
Sequel to David Gemmell's earlier Lion of Macedon, with more emphasis on the mystical elements this time around: whereas that earlier novel was perhaps 90/10 in favour of history, this is (IMO) closer to 40/60.
As the novel starts, Alexander is but a 4 year old and Parmenion is out of favour with Philip of Macedon, who is jealous of the Spartan general's success in battle. Alexander is still plagued by the Chaos Spirit, and - at around the 1/4 mark - is magically transported into an alternate Greece, where the myths and monsters of Greek legend are all real. With a little help from Aristotle and the Siptrassi stones, Parmenion is soon off on a rescue mission, accompanied by Philip's assassin Attalus (without Philips knowledge). The bulk of this novel - parts 2 and 3 (of 4) - then takes place in that alternate Greece, with Parmenion - again - reliving his past and playing a key role in proceedings, before it returns to 'our' Greece for the final part of the novel.
As is standard for Gemmell, lots of musing on the nature of Good and evil throughout, and with a conflicted central protagonist.
As the novel starts, Alexander is but a 4 year old and Parmenion is out of favour with Philip of Macedon, who is jealous of the Spartan general's success in battle. Alexander is still plagued by the Chaos Spirit, and - at around the 1/4 mark - is magically transported into an alternate Greece, where the myths and monsters of Greek legend are all real. With a little help from Aristotle and the Siptrassi stones, Parmenion is soon off on a rescue mission, accompanied by Philip's assassin Attalus (without Philips knowledge). The bulk of this novel - parts 2 and 3 (of 4) - then takes place in that alternate Greece, with Parmenion - again - reliving his past and playing a key role in proceedings, before it returns to 'our' Greece for the final part of the novel.
As is standard for Gemmell, lots of musing on the nature of Good and evil throughout, and with a conflicted central protagonist.
David McK (3248 KP) rated Arthur (The Arthurian Tales #3) in Books
Jun 30, 2024 - 7:09 PM (Updated Jun 30, 2024 - 7:11 PM)
This is the final entry in Giles Kristian's 'Arthurian Tales' trilogy, set after both 'Lancelot' and 'Camelot', and now told in the third person instead of the first person view of both those former works.
It's also the first one - I believe - to so heavily rely on flashbacks, paralleling the 'now' of the story with the background to one of the main characters Beran (whose identity I, personally, found quite easy to grok early on).
As a whole, I have to say, this trilogy is one of the best retellings of the Arthurian myths I have come across although retelling, however, may be too strong a word; perhaps a better on would be re-imagining as there's no mystical Green Knight (reimagined in 'Camelot'), search for the Holy Grails (again, see 'Camelot'), or mysterious women lying in ponds and distributing swords ("that's no basis for sound government..."), but which does cover the whole Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere love triangle (see, in particular, 'Lancelot') and the fall out thereof.
In short, all three novels are well worth a read - personally, I found I enjoyed these more than the 'Blood Eye' series by the same author.
It's also the first one - I believe - to so heavily rely on flashbacks, paralleling the 'now' of the story with the background to one of the main characters Beran (whose identity I, personally, found quite easy to grok early on).
As a whole, I have to say, this trilogy is one of the best retellings of the Arthurian myths I have come across although retelling, however, may be too strong a word; perhaps a better on would be re-imagining as there's no mystical Green Knight (reimagined in 'Camelot'), search for the Holy Grails (again, see 'Camelot'), or mysterious women lying in ponds and distributing swords ("that's no basis for sound government..."), but which does cover the whole Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere love triangle (see, in particular, 'Lancelot') and the fall out thereof.
In short, all three novels are well worth a read - personally, I found I enjoyed these more than the 'Blood Eye' series by the same author.
Mothergamer (1521 KP) rated God of War III in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
I finished God Of War 3 tonight and I have to say this was my guilty pleasure. Not only did I love the story, but I loved all the brutally filled action sequences such as decapitating centaurs or smashing stone statues with giant hammers. There is also the love of mythology and enjoying the presence of various characters from said myths throughout the game as well as gods. I also liked that there was a little more character development with the hero Kratos and the idea of redemption and hope.
The game play is pretty tight and the same as the previous two games, with a few odd camera angles here and there, but over all the controls handle very well. There are even some new weapons to add to the artillery with some very interesting tweaks on the old ones making for a fun siege on the gods. There are bonus items that are unlocked once you beat the game and some fun costumes.
I will be playing through God Of War 3 again just for those bonuses and to check them out. If you haven't played the game yet, I suggest you do especially if you like an action game with a lot of punch.
The game play is pretty tight and the same as the previous two games, with a few odd camera angles here and there, but over all the controls handle very well. There are even some new weapons to add to the artillery with some very interesting tweaks on the old ones making for a fun siege on the gods. There are bonus items that are unlocked once you beat the game and some fun costumes.
I will be playing through God Of War 3 again just for those bonuses and to check them out. If you haven't played the game yet, I suggest you do especially if you like an action game with a lot of punch.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Guards! Guards! Discworld Novel 8 in Books
Mar 19, 2018
A great introduction to the City Watch
You've got to hand it to Terry Pratchett, he knows how to write a good fantasy novel.
Guards! Guards! is yet another great Discworld novel, and the first to introduce Captain Vimes and the City Watch. Vimes himself is a loveable anti-hero who develops greatly over the course of the novel and the same too can be said for the other members of the Watch. Carrot the 'dwarf' provides a real introduction to the Watch and also a lot of the humour from his exploits, and I loved seeing a lot more of the Librarian.
The plot itself on the face of it is a fantasy fairy tale filled story of dragons, maidens and heroes. But with every Pratchett novel, beneath it lies dark wit and humour, and a slightly sad social commentary on human greed and corruption. There are a lot of references in this to other media, like The Hobbit, which really poke fun at the myths and lore used in the fantasy genre.
A great read with some very engaging characters. A little rambling at times, but fortunately the rest of the book makes up for it! Discworld books are the only books that can really make me laugh out loud.
Guards! Guards! is yet another great Discworld novel, and the first to introduce Captain Vimes and the City Watch. Vimes himself is a loveable anti-hero who develops greatly over the course of the novel and the same too can be said for the other members of the Watch. Carrot the 'dwarf' provides a real introduction to the Watch and also a lot of the humour from his exploits, and I loved seeing a lot more of the Librarian.
The plot itself on the face of it is a fantasy fairy tale filled story of dragons, maidens and heroes. But with every Pratchett novel, beneath it lies dark wit and humour, and a slightly sad social commentary on human greed and corruption. There are a lot of references in this to other media, like The Hobbit, which really poke fun at the myths and lore used in the fantasy genre.
A great read with some very engaging characters. A little rambling at times, but fortunately the rest of the book makes up for it! Discworld books are the only books that can really make me laugh out loud.
A World Full of Animal Stories: 50 favourite animal folk tales, myths and legends by Angela McAllister is a beautiful and interesting book of folktales and legends that celebrate animals and culture. These stories are brought to life as the reader travels the globe to Africa, Asia, North and South America, Europe, Australia and Oceania.
It is a book full of cultural stories, with strong messages and wonderful illustrations. Familiar stories such as The Billy Goats Gruff, The Nightingale, and The Ugly Duckling are in the book so the reader will learn where those stories came from. In the contents guide it has each of the stories listed under the continent they belong to, with the country that relates to the story in brackets next to its title, which is useful for finding a specific story or learning about a certain region.
The stories are not long, which makes it perfect for bedtime stories. One story a night will give your child something to think and talk about. This would also would be great for the classroom, particularly when learning about different cultural stories and traditions.
I received an ARC of A World Full of Animal Stories from NetGalley via Quarto Publishing Group and Frances Lincoln Childrens.
It is a book full of cultural stories, with strong messages and wonderful illustrations. Familiar stories such as The Billy Goats Gruff, The Nightingale, and The Ugly Duckling are in the book so the reader will learn where those stories came from. In the contents guide it has each of the stories listed under the continent they belong to, with the country that relates to the story in brackets next to its title, which is useful for finding a specific story or learning about a certain region.
The stories are not long, which makes it perfect for bedtime stories. One story a night will give your child something to think and talk about. This would also would be great for the classroom, particularly when learning about different cultural stories and traditions.
I received an ARC of A World Full of Animal Stories from NetGalley via Quarto Publishing Group and Frances Lincoln Childrens.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Rape: A Love Story in Books
Jul 12, 2018
First off, I hate the title. This was not a book that I could read out in public without getting some very concerned looks. I picked up this book because a book blog that I follow had a post about the book and it made me curious. Other than the title, I liked this book. I was a volunteer for an anti sexual assault group for 2 years and this hits the nail on the head (how a sexual assault survivor is treated). This book is extremely dark. I had to put it away every few minutes and regroup.
This book shows how one rape can send ripples and waves through a community. When reading this book the reader gets to see what impact a rape has an individual and society. There were a lot of rape myths that were present and it just made me want to scream at the media. I think the most depressing thing about this book is that the experience of the mother and daughter are true for so many victims of sexual assault.
Ultimately, I found this book interesting and fascinating. I'm going to have to have to reread it again because I feel like I could get more out of this novel on a second read.
This book shows how one rape can send ripples and waves through a community. When reading this book the reader gets to see what impact a rape has an individual and society. There were a lot of rape myths that were present and it just made me want to scream at the media. I think the most depressing thing about this book is that the experience of the mother and daughter are true for so many victims of sexual assault.
Ultimately, I found this book interesting and fascinating. I'm going to have to have to reread it again because I feel like I could get more out of this novel on a second read.
Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong in Books
Jun 20, 2019
As a scientist myself, I see all the time the imbalance of sexes within the industry. As a teacher, I see girls outperform boys in exams all the way through the school, the gender gap in attainment is one national trend many school are trying to combat. So when this book was made available to me through the school (each school got sent one free copy) I nabbed it up before any of my peers could.
This book covered how males and females have been viewed differently throughout history and how scientific developments have changed the views of both sexes. Even Darwin thought that women were lesser than men cognitively, which shocked me considering his research on evolution. There is evidence from neurological research and anthropological observation debunking views so engrained in our societal views that they as seen as common knowledge.
This book is definitely for the feminist. Both the brains of men and women have been studied and observed in tribes and show that we have so few differences. Myths of "women are better at multitasking" and "men are hunters" are challenged and proven otherwise.
I have nothing but praise for this book and cannot wait to read the next: Superior
This book covered how males and females have been viewed differently throughout history and how scientific developments have changed the views of both sexes. Even Darwin thought that women were lesser than men cognitively, which shocked me considering his research on evolution. There is evidence from neurological research and anthropological observation debunking views so engrained in our societal views that they as seen as common knowledge.
This book is definitely for the feminist. Both the brains of men and women have been studied and observed in tribes and show that we have so few differences. Myths of "women are better at multitasking" and "men are hunters" are challenged and proven otherwise.
I have nothing but praise for this book and cannot wait to read the next: Superior
Accessible (2 more)
Simplified
Incredible insight into how much the modern world has taken from Greek and Roman culture
A lot of pretty complex names to remember (1 more)
Constant footnotes (usually at least one per page) to explain certain aspects, or highlight an interesting fact.
Mythos - The Greek legends retold
Ah, what a great read. Stephen Fry writes exactly how you would expect him to, if you've ever heard him speak. He understands the subject matter, and more importantly, realises how easily a reader will be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of players in these myths and answers that problem without condescension.
The book reads as a quasi-novel, from the birth of the universe to the third and fourth generations of immortals (this includes the creators, the titans, the gods, and mythical creatures/characters, spawns of titans and gods, gods and creatures, gods and men and all sorts.) and their adventures, each following on from the other.
I have always had an interest in the Greek myths and gods, and as I suggested above the really interesting part of these stories, beyond the very human nature of the immortals (jealousy, unreasonableness, duplicity, rage, deceit and pride) which makes for so much more of a believable creation theory, is the myriad ways they have influenced English language (any many others I'm sure). To give an example (I'm showing my own ignorance flagrantly here) a simple thing, the alphabet. It never occurred to me, in my own self centered existence, this simply come from the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and Beta. So simple, so obvious, yet I never made this connection.
The stories themselves are wonderful, and the best thing about them is they all tie in with a creation theory. Something, whatever it is, is learned, or created. Some paradigm is set, some moral conundrum is answered, or something in the world is explained by the end of every story told (the tides, the moon, wine, love, soul, war, sex, the seasons, humanity itself just to name a few). It's such an entertaining read, and I find myself telling anyone who will listen some of the revelations I find in this book page on page on page.
As an end note, don't be overwhelmed by the prospect of reading about these stories, this installment ONLY covers from creation, to the establishment of the twelve Greek gods, and their children. It stops before the even greater amount of legends stemming from human demigods (Hercules, Perseus etc) and these are picked up in Fry's most recent offering, Heroes (which I am yet to read).
If you have any interest in the Greek mythology, or etymology, or even history as a whole, this is absolutely one for you.
- Rob
The book reads as a quasi-novel, from the birth of the universe to the third and fourth generations of immortals (this includes the creators, the titans, the gods, and mythical creatures/characters, spawns of titans and gods, gods and creatures, gods and men and all sorts.) and their adventures, each following on from the other.
I have always had an interest in the Greek myths and gods, and as I suggested above the really interesting part of these stories, beyond the very human nature of the immortals (jealousy, unreasonableness, duplicity, rage, deceit and pride) which makes for so much more of a believable creation theory, is the myriad ways they have influenced English language (any many others I'm sure). To give an example (I'm showing my own ignorance flagrantly here) a simple thing, the alphabet. It never occurred to me, in my own self centered existence, this simply come from the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and Beta. So simple, so obvious, yet I never made this connection.
The stories themselves are wonderful, and the best thing about them is they all tie in with a creation theory. Something, whatever it is, is learned, or created. Some paradigm is set, some moral conundrum is answered, or something in the world is explained by the end of every story told (the tides, the moon, wine, love, soul, war, sex, the seasons, humanity itself just to name a few). It's such an entertaining read, and I find myself telling anyone who will listen some of the revelations I find in this book page on page on page.
As an end note, don't be overwhelmed by the prospect of reading about these stories, this installment ONLY covers from creation, to the establishment of the twelve Greek gods, and their children. It stops before the even greater amount of legends stemming from human demigods (Hercules, Perseus etc) and these are picked up in Fry's most recent offering, Heroes (which I am yet to read).
If you have any interest in the Greek mythology, or etymology, or even history as a whole, this is absolutely one for you.
- Rob