Right... a blog. Well I've always thought a blog was far too pro-active for a pro-crastinator such as myself but here I am all the same. It has always seemed rather, I dont know, self-indulgent? I mean who really wants to know what i've been up to I ask myself. I bought some peaches today and they were friggin tasty etc etc. I love peaches.
Anyway, to save you from the prattle I was given the good advice (thanks David) to do some sort of 'what i'm reading'-review type entry. In which case i'd like to draw your attention to one Joe Abercrombie and his First Law series. I've just finished book 2 'Before they are hanged' and although it lost a little of its momentum from what was an excellent start in 'The Blade Itself' it is still a worthy read. The character of Logen Ninefingers and his fearsome Bloody Nine alter ego really makes for good reading. Book 1 builds nicely from the viewpoints of Ninefingers, the broken Inquistor Glotka master torturer and the vain Captain Luthar who i must say you just really want to smack... hard. The threat is established (although the real threat is merely alluded to) and Abercrombie draws you into an interesting world that is both violent and intriguing with sharp writing and good description.
Fantasy nearly always has an element of cliche but Abercrombie has no elves, no dwarves and his world is new and fresh. There is magic of course but it is not easy and not freely given to the characters which is good. There is the usual parallels with various human cultures but I think Abercrombies style relies more on character development and fast paced action.
However Book 2, whilst still good, was something of a let-down in the sense that I finished it feeling somewhat ripped off but hopeful all the same that all is not as it seems. I couldnt shake the feeling that the whole thing was a journey of pointless importance but I'm certain there will be more to it once I read Book 3. There has to be? Right?
Anyway, I'll keep you posted... or blogged ...or whatever you bloody say. This has been fun. I should do this more often. I can see David nodding right now.
