Goodreads Ireland discussion

And time for another category. The next six weeks are for the Fantasy genre.
Let me know what you are reading.

As i read a lot of fantasy I am trying to go a bit outside the box for this one so I am going for a bit of ancient mythology and reading the The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Should be interesting as it has a lot of similarities to later Greek and Roman mythology as well as a pre bible flood myth.

Paul wrote: "As i read a lot of fantasy I am trying to go a bit outside the box for this one so I am going for a bit of ancient mythology and reading the The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Should be interestin..."

Always wanted to read Gilgamesh but just never got around to it. It'll be interesting to see what you think of it. I'm reading Ravinor which was one of the entrants for the SPFBO 2016. The first two chapters have been excellent.

Thats a really interesting choice Paul. Can't wait to here how you get on with. It. I'm going to read Rebel of the Sands and The Probable Future, both books by authors new-to-me. I'll be starting as soon as I finish my current read The Way of Kings which is a bit of a door stopper. Since Sanderson is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors I don't want to use this as part of the challenge.

I'll be reading some Sanderson as well Margo, Well of Ascension and Arcanum Unbounded (i'm halway thorugh this already but may have to skip one or two as there are spoilers for books I haven't read yet), in the coming weeks but like you it felt like cheating to add them.

Brian wrote: "Paul wrote: "As i read a lot of fantasy I am trying to go a bit outside the box for this one so I am going for a bit of ancient mythology and reading the The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Should ..."
Gilgamesh is short enough anyway so if you get around to it you'll fly through.
I considered picking a book from the SPFBO for the challenge as well I may still do as its a while since I've taken a proper chance on a self published book.

I think I will read The Stolen Child and The Name of the Wind

enjoy Gilgamesh, read the Andrew George translation last year, extraordinary

going to go with Night's Master by Tanith Lee for fantasy read

The Name of the Wind is one of the best fantasy books out there, and while being a long book it won't feel like it

I am reading Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. My daughter is thrilled because she has been raving about this series for the last year!

I will be reading The Princess Bride. The film is one of my favourites so I hope I enjoy the book just as much.

Going to stick with Eirelan as part of my Irish Ireland challenge, not sure how much sci-fi & how much h/f style it will pan out to be, but I have the book in hand now..... :)

I will be reading The Golem and the Jinni as originally planned. I will see about the second book later on but it's my goal to read only from my existing TBR (now at 200 books) rather than buying/borrowing new books. This is hard for me as I want to use any excuse to acquire a new book!

I have not read the runemarkes series yet. I love Joanne Harris but she likes to change genre from book to book. The Chocolat series has Magical Realism elements. The Different Class duoology are more mystery/thriller set in a Boarding school. She has some Historial Fiction, some romance, she has branched out to gothic/horror etc. I think she has something for everyone but if there are genres you like/dislike it's always worth checking out how it's classified in GRs first.

Emma, definitely agree Gospel of Loki might be a good choice for those not used to fantasy, its an easy lead in.
Loki is an interesting character, maybe overdone in popular culture at the moment with Avengers and American Gods in the media and numerous books.

Finished the Epic of Gilgamesh. An interesting read. While its based on an epic poem its actually translated into a prose form , which probably loses some of the style. Some of the oral poetry tricks such as repetition are speckled throughout but seem a bit jarring minus the other poetic structures.
Still overall an interesting story,
firstly the "hero" is actually an arrogant ass who pisses a lot of people off. He does nothing useful, gets his best mate killed , goes on a selfish and eventually useless quest to try gain immortality then dies. Not the most polished of heroes but may tell a lot about the age it came from. Some interesting bits that eeventuallycrop up in later cultures myths, the most obvious being the flood myth, taking only 12 days here for the wiping out of a sinful mankind. Other themes appear such as the journey to the under world and a boat man to the land of the dead as well as a bunch of feuding gods screwing around with mankind.
Loads of fun.

LOL You should write the blurb for it Paul :)

I can do a condensed blurb - Gilgamesh , the biggest Ass of a leader until Trump.

Paul wrote: "I can do a condensed blurb - Gilgamesh , the biggest Ass of a leader until Trump."

:)

Paul wrote: "Finished the Epic of Gilgamesh. An interesting read. While its based on an epic poem its actually translated into a prose form , which probably loses some of the style. Some of the oral poetry tric..."

Honestly, it sound fascinating. Think this will be my next read.

Its certainly interesting, and one for anyone interested in mythology, and I know you are Brian considering your own books :-)
I remember getting a brief overview of the work in the first lecture of a module for my degree course years ago. Had to get Trelawn to remind me of the module name which was Myth - The Age of Heros.

None at all to be honest. There are no notes on the translation or translator which is odd as its an academic translation

Maria wrote: "I will be reading The Golem and the Jinni as originally planned. I will see about the second book later on but it's my goal to read only from my existing TBR (now at 200 books) rath..."

I'm with you Maria - reading The Golem and the Jinni. Already started it, and I'm enjoying it.

for anyone interested in a translation that holds to poetic structure and includes commentary and analysis, i really enjoyed the Andrew George translation The Epic of Gilgamesh

May be worth my while checking it out to see the difference. Thanks Andy

Myra wrote: "Maria wrote: "I will be reading The Golem and the Jinni as originally planned. I will see about the second book later on but it's my goal to read only from my existing TBR (now at 2..."

We should compare notes then Myra.

I have changed my mind on my pick for this genre about half a dozen times. I have finally settled on the first part of the Mirror Chronicles, The Bell Between Worlds. Fingers crossed it a good one

Maria wrote: "Myra wrote: "Maria wrote: "I will be reading The Golem and the Jinni as originally planned. I will see about the second book later on but it's my goal to read only from my existing ..."

Yes. definitely. There's a lot more than meets the eye and I look forward to sharing our thoughts.

Paul wrote: "Its certainly interesting, and one for anyone interested in mythology, and I know you are Brian considering your own books :-)
I remember getting a brief overview of the work in the first lecture o..."

Very cool, Paul. Always wanted to do an official course on mythology but they're pretty rare in NZ. :)

just finished Night's Master, 4 stars for me
very much a mythological tale, humanity very much the supporting cast
my first read from this author, enjoyed it

I randomly picked up The Salt God's Daughter at the library. I'm not sure what to expect. It's a fantasy book though.

Brave to go for a random choice :-)

I'm on a second Fantasy choice for the period, called The Malice by Peter Newman. Its the follow up to another book called The Vagrant which was quite unusual in that the main character never spoke at all .

Ha sounds a bit like The Clan of the Cave Bear - no dialogy. Great book but lousey film!

Its a nasty book. Really dark. I'll have nightmares and keep poor Trelawn awake

Yeah the last book was poor but I had to read it for completion. Film should have worked but didn't - Daryl Hannah played Ayla.

Paul, why're you reading nasty books? Just watch the news!!

Its dark demons crossing a breach and infecting mankind rather thandthe unbelievable crap going on in real life

Paul wrote: "Brave to go for a random choice :-)"
I've actually found a few treasures that way.

Mythago Wood is a good one for someone looking for a mythology/fantasy style read

I have just finsished The Golem and the Jinni and really enjoyed it. It's genre would be historical urban fantasy. I feel really proud of myself for beginning to be able to classify types of fantasy as until recently I thought a lot of Sci Fi was actually Fantasy :)

For my second book, which I will probably get around to nearer the end of April, I thought I would try some fantasy from Korea. One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun, Jung Yewon (Translator)

Described by the Blurb as : An oblique, hard-edged novel tinged with offbeat fantasy and set in Seoul.

Other than that I have no idea what it is like.

Maria wrote: "I have just finsished The Golem and the Jinni and really enjoyed it. It's genre would be historical urban fantasy. I feel really proud o..."

You're a fast reader. I'm a little more than halfway through it, but I am loving every page. I can see that this is going to be one of those books that I don't want to end. There's a lot of meaning between the lines.

I may have to try that at some point. :-)

Myra wrote: "Maria wrote: "I have just finsished The Golem and the Jinni and really enjoyed it. It's genre would be historical urban fantasy. I feel ..."

I heard that she is coming out with a sequel , not sure how I feel about ,I loved the The Golem and the Jinni and was fine with how she left it but I know I'll read it :)

Paul wrote: "I may have to try that at some point. :-)"

I think you should ;)

Myra wrote: "Maria wrote: "I have just finsished The Golem and the Jinni and really enjoyed it. It's genre would be historical urban fantasy. I feel ..."

I am still recovering from a bout of flu but I am at the point where I can lie on a couch a do nothing other than reading. Normally I am a pretty slow reader.

Sorry to hear you're still laid up Maria- you must have had a nasty dose :-(

I'm about 10 % into The Probable Future and so far it's good. i'm not getting a lot of reading done. we're travelling home tomorrow and i'm not great for reading on the move but once i'm home and rested i think i'll fly through it. The Golem and the Jinni is on my list too :-)

Margo wrote: "Sorry to hear you're still laid up Maria- you must have had a nasty dose :-(

I'm about 10 % into The Probable Future and so far it's good. i'm not getting a lot of reading done. we're..."

How was the trip?

Maria wrote: "Margo wrote: "Sorry to hear you're still laid up Maria- you must have had a nasty dose :-(

I'm about 10 % into The Probable Future and so far it's good. i'm not getting a lot of readi..."

wonderful! great weather too!! sorry to be coming home - just hoping i don't blub tomorrow when i'm leaving my son :-\

Maria wrote: "Myra wrote: "Maria wrote: "I have just finsished The Golem and the Jinni and really enjoyed it. It's genre would be historical urban fan..."

I hope you're feeling better Maria. I'm not the fastest reader either. I understand.