Fantasy Book Club discussion

Can you believe we're already due to pick a book to read in February and discuss in March? The year isn't even here yet, and we're kicking right through it.

Actually, this will be a month that we select both a General Fantasy book, and a GoodReads Author book. These will be read in February and discussed in March. So that being said, I'm taking nominations for both categories.

Remember to post book and author information, as well as a brief reason for nominating the book. Everyone can nominate up to two books for each poll.

I'll take nominations until December 14th.

If it's not too bold I'd like to suggest my book, The Victor. (Marlayne Giron)

Not too bold at all, Marlayne. I'll add it to the GR author poll.

The Victor looks very good. Plan on reading it regardless of March's outcome.

I've planed to read The Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts, so I nominate it for the GR author poll.

Marlayne, I have a question about your book. On the link, it says that The Victor is coming out in April. Is that correct? If it is, February and March will have come and gone before we have a chance to acquire it.

We'll have another GR Author poll every other month, so if this does release in April, you can nominate it for the April read/May discussion.

Just let me know....

Chris wrote: "Marlayne, I have a question about your book. On the link, it says that The Victor is coming out in April. Is that correct? If it is, February and March will have come and gone before we have a chan..."

Hi, sorry about that, I need to update it. It came out last April. It's already available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

Okay, good deal. We'll include it in this month's poll then.

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So far on the GR Author poll, we have

The Victor by Marlayne Giron
The Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts
Dreaming Anastasia A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams by Joy Preble

General Fantasy:

Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks
A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Acacia The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham

I'll get things started with General Fantasy.

1. Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks

This is one that intrigues me. I've always enjoyed Brooks, and this is one that ties the modern world with the fantasy genre. I've heard too that it's very good for those that enjoy a break from his Shannara novels.

2. A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay

Here's another I've had staring at me from my TBR pile. I read Tigana earlier this year and was captivated. I really enjoyed the fantasy world with its foundation in actuall history that helps complete the worldbuilding. I've been wanting to read another, and this is one I've heard good things about.

For General Fanatsy I would second A Song for Arbonne, and propose Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

As to Goodreads Author I would like to nominate Dreaming Anastasia A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams by Joy Preble. I've always been fascinated by the story of Anastasia Romanov and for some time I've eyeing this book with curiosity. Since I plan on reading it regardless, I thought nominating it would do no harm.

Thanks, Sarah......

Acacia The War with the Mein

I just finished this book, he is a good reads author, and I think this book is amazing. I'd love to discuss it so I'll nominate it.

Its epic fantasy, trilogy, with two books currently out. Its probably one of the most adult fantasy novels I've read, without the crude/darkness found in Song of Ice and Fire. It brings up so many topics within the highly political world such as racism, drug addiction, and corrupt politics.

I absolutely loved it...

Thanks, Landon. Great choice! I've heard good things about this book.

I don't see that he's a GR author, so I'll add it to the General Fantasy poll.....

I would like to add my name to the nomination for Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts. I think it might be the only one of hers I haven't read, and I love the Fantasy Club discussions -- very intelligent kids here.

I'll 3rd A Song for Arbonne!

Cecile wrote: "I've planed to read The Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts, so I nominate it for the GR author poll."

Cecile - thanks, I'm quite touched!

Should the book win the poll, I will, of course, be available to the club.

For anyone not familiar with this title, it is an older work of mine, out of print, but it went into many reprints in the USA and UK, so should not be hard to find used or swap. The story is a straight action adventure about a mercenary who solves extraordinary situations. It is somewhat episodic, lends itself to reading on commute, with imaginative exploits that range from monsters, elementals, and touchy diplomacy between nations. If you liked the movie Lethal Weapon, the main character would appeal to you.

If anyone wants to test run the book before they vote, I've made that easy by adding an excerpt of Chapter 1 to the list of those available on my website. Look under the excerpts menu at http://www.paravia.com/JannyWurts

Thanks for the honor of the nomination.

Janny wrote: "Cecile - thanks, I'm quite touched!
..."

Well, it's the second time I get it in a poll, I hope it will win this time :)
Anyway I intend to read it soon, whatever the result.

Polls for February Read/March Discussion are up:

GoodReads Author: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/27...

General Fantasy: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/27...

Well, we have a winner in the GR Author poll: The Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts. Congrats, Janny. Looking forward to reading another of your books.

In the General Fantasy poll, we have a tie. We'll have a run-off poll until the end of the month/year. This is between Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke and A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Link to run-off poll: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/27...

Thank you, Chris.

What a delightful Christmas gift, from a great group - I am thrilled, to say the least.

It will be a delight to receive the opportunity to share this story with those of you who choose to go for the ride. This standalone is a straightforward adventure, dense with wild ideas, creatures, capers, and magic both unearthly and mundane.

The title, as I mentioned, is currently out of print - but it had multiple printings in the US, UK and Australia, New Zealand - it ought to be easily found used from ABE books or Alibris, or swap sites.

I have posted up the first chapter under the Excerpts menu at http://www.paravia.com/JannyWurts - so you can test run the start before taking the plunge.

If anyone has questions or problems acquiring the book, do feel free to message me.

Can't wait, Janny. Now to find the book.

We still need voters. This one is going down to the wire. As it stands now, we still have a tie. Vote now if you haven't already - this poll closes as 2009 closes.

Voted for A Song for Arbonne... JS&MN just didn't really do anything for me. I thought it was boring and MUCH too long.

I had similar problems with JS&MN as you did Becky. I did enjoy the story but the length and slowness of it all made me give up in the end. A Song for Arbonne does seem much more interesting.

I read Song for Arbonne years ago - lovely book. No time to re-read. I've got Jonathan Strange on the shelf TBR. It seems people either hate the slowness of the detail in it, or give it superb marks for quality - my husband did the audio unabridged and said it pays out toward the end. So I probably need the push to check it out. A group read would be the ticket. The unabridged audio may help - (I can draw to those).

There was a lot of good stuff in JS&MN Janny, but I just thought that there was far too much detail for the little bit of story. I mean, the writing was beautiful, and the style was great, but it just seemed like there wasn't anything going on underneath.

The footnotes were a bit off-putting too, and I thought that they could have been worked into the story rather than tacked on like an afterthought.

I did give it three stars, I think, but I just wish there was a little bit more substance to it. I would be interested to hear what you think of the audio though. :)

Becky wrote: "There was a lot of good stuff in JS&MN Janny, but I just thought that there was far too much detail for the little bit of story. I mean, the writing was beautiful, and the style was great, but it j..."

Becky - thanks for the additional feedback.

Whatever it holds, JS&MN has received a lot of high praise from literate sources - I try to keep up with all angles of the field - so I can stay aware of what's happening. Some fantasy writers don't read in the field. I do. Widely. All ends of the spectrum. First of all for enjoyment, and also to place the trends and know what's afoot.

I've been a reader of Guy Kay since the start of his career, and his stuff has won such a place in my heart, his titles are always snatched off the shelf, new, the moment they hit the store in hardback. It is really terrific to see his works becoming so well appreciated in this group!

I'm not surprised by the high praise for JS&MN, to be honest. It's definitely a mature and different type of fantasy, and the writing is lovely, so for those things, I think it deserves it.

I don't really keep up with the experts or the critics or whoever, though. My grandfather actually gave me the book, and I read it having no idea what to expect, haha. I love classics, and I love fantasy, so while the writing agreed with me, I was expecting something more exciting as far as the fantasy part went.

Anyway, I'm not trying to talk anyone out of reading it. It is a good story, but not super exciting. :)

Although now I'm thinking that a discussion of this one wouldn't be half bad. :P

Guy Kay can write. I picked up one of his (forgot which) at a library, and after reading it I was downcast because they didn't have the rest of the series. If I EVER catch up with my reading list, well, he is certainly on it.

JS&MN, I think is well written, but about 300 pages in it defeated me lol.

I've never read Kay yet, so I hope A Song For Arbonne is a good one to start with.

Becky wrote: "I'm not surprised by the high praise for JS&MN, to be honest. It's definitely a mature and different type of fantasy, and the writing is lovely, so for those things, I think it deserves it.

I d..."

Goodness, I don't nose to tail follow what critics think - grin.

A work like JS&MN comes out, it gathers buzz that keeps circling - one of my favorite sites that only does fantasy (http://fantasyliterature.com) endorsed it pretty highly. I keep my ear to the ground when stuff crops up that is off the beaten track, for originality. Mainstream readers are talking about it - not usual for a hard to access storyline.

I picked up a copy to see what the fuss was about. I may love it - may not. Definitely need the excuse to tackle it, daunting black brick that it is.

Some of my most favorite reads have been too unique to catagorise. I have no idea how I'll respond to this when I get to it. Sometimes I really hate what the critics are thick on - Don said it read a bit like Patrick O'Brien - lots of parlor scene detail and careful characterization. If the characters don't resonate, personally, forget it, but if they do, one can be transported.

For Elise, I liked A Song for Arbonne very much, though the start of it isn't quite as smoothly structured as most of Kay's other works. Don't let the opening shift after (was it chapter 1, or the prologue? can't fill that bit in, after so long) throw you, the story is every bit as good, with that haunting depth Kay is so good at. I remember the story well, even though I read it at least (?) fifteen or more years ago? That should provide a fine endorsement.

We at last have a winner for our General Fantasy Poll, to read in February and Discuss in March.

A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay

Thanks for voting, everyone!

Janny wrote: "Goodness, I don't nose to tail follow what critics think - grin."

LOL Janny! That's not what I meant at all! I just meant that I'm oblivious to critics and the like... Not that following their opinions is a bad thing, I just don't really think about it at all.

I couldn't even tell you who is on the NYT Bestseller list. I could guess, and probably be somewhat close, but I'm really ignorant of which way critical opinions are running these, and pretty much all, days. LOL

Becky wrote: "There was a lot of good stuff in JS&MN Janny, but I just thought that there was far too much detail for the little bit of story. I mean, the writing was beautiful, and the style was great, but it just seemed like there wasn't anything going on underneath."

I'm in the camp that loved Strange & Norrell, but I'll also agree that there is just a 'little bit of story'. As I see it, it's a very character based book. What plot there is that connects the whole story is a bit thin, and draggy in places - but I just loved reading about the characters, so it never bothered me that not that much was actually happening plotwise, because so much was happening character-wise.

I've been thinking of rereading Strange & Norrell, so would've liked it to have won.

That said, I hear about Kay all over the place 'round here, and I've never read anything by him. To be honest, the summaries of his books just don't seem to catch my interest, but perhaps I shall have to break the pattern...

blackrose wrote: "Becky wrote: "There was a lot of good stuff in JS&MN Janny, but I just thought that there was far too much detail for the little bit of story. I mean, the writing was beautiful, and the style was g..."

Break the pattern, Kay is fabulous. If you love character based books, he's superb, in that way - and the stories (mostly about interactions with very well built conflicts) are solid.

Your description of Strange & Norrell fits Don's take, that it's much like Patrick O'Brien - good books, if you get the fact that the real meat of the story isn't the action, but the relationships between characters with ingrained ideosyncrasies? I'll bear that in mind, when I pick it up, then.

People who don't take to O'Brien are looking for the sea action book that isn't there.

Blackrose, if you are thinking about trying Kay, the obvious recommendation is Tigana, but I think you would like The Lions of al-Rassan even more. From what I understand about Strange and Norrell, is that its a study of two strong characters. How they both challenge and compliment each other. Al-Rassan's two leads are not as antagonistic to each other, but you may enjoy the depth they give the novel. Good luck!

Janny wrote: "Becky wrote: "I'm not surprised by the high praise for JS&MN, to be honest. It's definitely a mature and different type of fantasy, and the writing is lovely, so for those things, I think it deserv..."

Victorian pastiche novels seem to come and go but I think that the critics picked up on the fact that this was a book that both captured the style, tone and spirit of Victorian and Romantic literature and blended it with a unique worldview of it's own. I don't think that it's a necessity to have read Jane Austen, Thackeray or Dickens to appreciate Susanna Clarke (the book reminded me most of Thackeray, actually with its dense sardonic prose and larger than life characters), but a tolerance for their styles is probably a necessity - the pacing of the book is slow and there's not much action, instead there's a lot of attention to detail, a lot of wit and a lot of subtle characterisation.

Anyway, if you like fantasy literature - which you obviously do - it's definitely a book that you should attempt because it's a highly rewarding read if it turns out to be your kind of thing, and if it doesn't I imagine that you'd still take something away from the experience....

Becky wrote: I would be interested to hear what you think of the audio though. :)

This is actually an interesting comment...should be a topic of it's own!!!

I am currently listening to a book that I couldn't get through (1421 for those inquiring minds)...heavy, lots of history, dates and footnotes.

I am finding it much easier to get into the audio recording than it was to focus on the book.

BTW - I am also a lover of Strange & Norrell! ;-p

Robyn Hawk