The Sorrows of the Speedreader

Oh, Woe is Me! *Dramatic Faint*

I finished the second book in the Golden Age series last night, which means I either write about that one right after the first or don't write about it at all. My biggest question is what to read after this series? I want to stay on the Science Fiction train for a little longer (we just left the station, after all) but I have read all of my science fiction books recently and so don't want to read them for awhile. Do I do the unthinkable and read another new book?

NO!

I will delve deeper into the collection that is my father's library and pull forth a really old book!

A REEALY old book.

Yeah, I've got nothing-- Maybe I'll start a new one after all.

*sigh*

The Reign of Science Fiction Has Begun

(If you haven't read the preamble to this post [which was too long {oh look! brackets} to go on this post] you can scroll down [or not, it wouldn't hurt my feelings {ok maybe a little}] and read it. Just a little background to the review.)

The latest book I read was The Golden Age, by John C. Wright. The story takes place ten thousand years in the future, in a utopian society where everyone can effectively live forever through the use of computers and recorded personalities. The protagonist, called Phaethon, (his real name being much longer, composing of his family, 'clan', school of thought, etc.) is suddenly approached by an old man who claims that Phaethon's memories were removed and that he is essentially an imposter. Phaethon goes on a 'quest' of sorts to discover why he would remove his own memories in a society where everything is perfect, eventually discovering that something he knew was a threat to the whole of the world's lifestyle. In a complex and confusing journey he uncovers truths behind who he really was, as well as attracting the attention of both the people who hid his memories and their hidden enemies. (If this sounds confusing, just go here to read the Wiki plot summary. That invents the word confusing.)

I liked the book, but since this was the first time I read it I probably missed a good portion of the details. I cautiously reccomend the book, since it has a great story, but because it is science fiction some may have trouble understanding it or truly enjoying it.

A Change in... Pace? Style? Whatever. A Change.

I'll have to admit that my posts thus far have been a little biased, for actually quite a few reasons. First is that all the books I have blogged on I have already read and enjoyed, then re-red for 20% time. Second, I really don't read books that I don't like, for I am set in my ways and judge a book before even opening it. Therefore any book that I pick up, I will usually immediately like. Not productive to good criticism at all. Meh.

Therefore, My next book was suggested to me. I must say that I would have never red the book had I just seen it lying about somewhere, but the fact that it was in my dad's collection (more like a library) meant that it was at least acceptable and that I should try. It is actually the first of three, so time will tell if I decide to just write about the first or report on the whole Trilogy.

I was going to write the review after a short preamble, but the short preamble became a long preamble and so I will write the review on a different post. I suppose that is better in the end, gives me more of a buffer. Too bad the order will be whacky. I'll have to put a note in the other post.

Well, This is Awkward...

I was going to go post my latest book I read, but then I realized that I hadn't posted the book before it. Oops.

The book I just read (before the book I just read) Was The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is a fantasy (last one, I promise) book that follows the quest of Lupe dy Cazaril, the main character, as he attempts to destroy a curse (see the resemblance to the title?) that has been passed down through the bloodline of the royal family of Chalion. The curse can only be lifted by a man that has died three times for the royal house, which perplexes everybody and sends Cazaril looking for this person before the last of the house dies of the curse.

This book is a standalone, but the author has many other books that are equally well written. As usual, I recommend this book for its ability to have an easy to follow plot, yet still be able to have a surprising conclusion.

Teh Alphabet is 4 Loserz!1!

I don't like alphabetizing.

I decided that since I had already read a book and hadn't wrote about it, and didn't want to write at the moment during class, I would do something else to pass the time. I had the great idea to alphabetize the bookshelves sitting next to me, 1. to deal with my OCD and 2. for a chance of scenery. Let me reiterate my previous statement. I don't like alphabetizing.

It's one thing to put all the 'A's together and all the 'B's together and be happy about it. It's another (not really that bad) thing to do it by the whole author's last name. It's a third thing to do this, get everything all nice and straight and perfect on a shelf, then realize there is another book with that letter. Therefore, alphabetizing books is not only putting the 'F's before the 'L's and after the 'C's, but also moving every book that doesn't fit down to another shelf, only to move it down again when you run out of room, then moving it back up again when you realize that you actually do have room!!! <-- three exclamation points= very passionate about subject.

Anyway, I realized that I don't ever want to work in a library (or at least one where the books are always messed up) because I would go absolutely crazy. They would find me hiding in a corner saying the alphabet backwards over and over and over again.

Thinking back, I realize I never said why the previous (or soon to be second to previous... we'll just call it the one that is always on top of the page) is called 'It doesn't count unless it is about a dead guy'. I was talking about the title of the Blog. Important to know, I guess.

That's about it for my rant, now I can actually go do what this blog is for!

Eventually. :)

Inheritence

Since my project would involve a lot more work to use for the analytical part of 20% Time than I want it to, I decided I would also do a book review so as to have something easier to write about. Since it had just come out and I read it recently, My first book was Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini.This is the fourth and final book in a series that was originally meant to only have three books, And in my opinion, it shows. There are some parts that seem to just be filler, sections that add length and nothing else. Other than that the book was well worth the wait and an enjoyable read.The story starts with the protagonist, Eragon, in a fight to capture one of the many cities unter the control of King Galbatorix. During the struggle he and Saphira find a Dauthdaert, a magical artifact that has the ability to bypass a dragon's magic, killing it. Their chances of killing Galbatorix improve greatly, but are by no means certain. Eragon's brother Roran becomes a war hero after capturing two more cities for the Varden, the force opposing the king.Much of the story after this vague point cannot be done justice without including spoilers, which isn't acceptable at all, but it includes Eragon's work to discover the secrets of the Vault of Souls and the struggles to avoid Galbatorix's forces as the Varden gets closer to the capital city.
Overall I enjoyed the entire series, so I'd reccomend the books to everybody who doesn't mind a 400 page count

The Redemption of Althalus

The last book I read was The Redemption of Althalus, by one of my many favorite authors, David Eddings. This book, along with many of his other works, centers around the basic idea of good versus evil. In this book, the main character, Althalus, is approached by a man who offers him countless treasures in exchange for one thing: a book. Thinking it but a simple task, Althalus travels to the house at the end of the world to retrieve it, only to discover that the 'simple book' was actually one of the two books of the gods. Dweia, the keeper of the book, informs Althalus that he is actually the 'chosen one' who will use the book to defeat the evil controller of the opposite book's power, essentially saving the world from disaster. Unfortunately for Althalus, the book is not an easy tool to use. In order to comprehend what he needs to simply to use its power, Althalus spends more than two thousand years in the house at the end of the world, unaging thanks to Dweia's influence. Thus Althalus must save a world that he is two milleniums removed from, facing an evil that has had two thousand years to prepare.
I love this book and (again) reccomend it most highly to those who aren't daunted by page count.
Genre: Fantasy