Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

RATING: FIVE STARS 

I must confess that with the notable exceptions of those by Tolkien and Wells, I’ve never really been interested in reading what I consider as ‘old books’. This is mainly due my conception that they are written in long-winded and tedious prose, as was the custom back then, but I don’t really know. Due to this ignorance however, I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to delve into the pages of Treasure Island and quickly fell in love with Robert Louis Stevenson’s witty, albeit rather archaic, text! 

In fact, I actually found that his outdated form of writing greatly added to my enjoyment of the story and really brought the characters of the infamous Long John Silver and his buccaneering companions to life! Stevenson’s vivid descriptions, use of old sailor slang and his classic: “yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum” poem really made me feel as if I was adventuring on the seven seas with Jim Hawkins, Doctor Livesey and the rest; securing Treasure Island’s place in my all time favourite read’s list. 

I don't feel the need to describe the plot of the book to you, as I'm sure many of you already know it. Whether from actually reading the book or watching a film (such as the Muppet’s re-enactment as I did as a child), you probably know the story well. I will recommend reading the book though, if you haven’t already, and feel confident that you won’t be disappointed! Even if you just marvel at how people used to speak, as Stevenson’s English isn't English!

'The Beating Of His Wings' release date

It has recently been confirmed that The Beating of His Wings, the final instalment of Paul Hoffman's Left Hand of God trilogy, will be released on the 18th July 2013! Sadly, this is a bit later than the previous and more optimistic estimates of an April launch but I guess that doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things and followers of the series with know the fate of Thomas Cale and the ruthless Redeemers soon enough!

Read an interview with Richard L. Sanders

As regular readers of this blog are no doubt aware, I frequently post reviews on Richard L. Sanders' work here and have to say that he is one of my favourite indie authors. Due to this, I was excited to find an interview with him on Indie Author Land and thought I'd share the link with you (click here)!

The Gunslinger - Stephen King

RATING: THREE STARS 

Beginning with a short story that debuted in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, The Gunslinger is the first instalment of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series; telling the tale of Roland Deschain as he pursues a mysterious man in black across a bleak, post-apocalyptic world in his search for the fabled Dark Tower. 

But chasing the man in black, who always seems to be a step ahead of him, is easier said than done and Roland must overcome many obstacles if he is to succeed in his quest. And as if walking a path fraught with violence and hardship isn't bad enough, Roland also bears the burden of being the Last Gunslinger of Gilead – all that remains of a once great and noble people. Obviously, the weight of this is crushing and it drives Roland to be suspicious of making some much needed friends as he struggles through the danger of King’s vivid and scenically stunning world. 

My Thoughts 

As with A Dance with Dragons (featured below), I read The Gunslinger a while ago now and many of its finer details have become slightly hazy. Despite this, I can remember that I enjoyed reading the book and recommend The Gunslinger as a fine (albeit somewhat quirky) example of epic fantasy. In fact, many people go as far as saying that The Dark Tower series is King’s best work, which is obviously a flattering testament to The Gunslinger as a book and suggests more than I can that you should consider giving it a go!

A Dance with Dragons - George R. R. Martin

RATING: FIVE STARS

Unfortunately, I read most of the books in A Song of Ice and Fire before I became interested in writing reviews and, as a result, any reviews that I post now won't be a fair assessment of them as they've all blurred into one big mess inside my head! Because of this, I plan to hold off reviewing them until I reread the series (which I undoubtedly will at some point), and for now, will just have to live with most of the titles being absent from my blog. Luckily A Dance with Dragons, the rather meaty fifth instalment of the series, was one of the first reviews I posted on Goodreads and I've decided to improve the review and repost it here!

So, enough waffle and let's begin! And, as you may already know, George R. R. Martin decided to overlap the chronology of A Dance with Dragons with that of the fourth book in ASoIaF (A Feast for Crows) due to the its staggering complexity and split the events unfolding around his POV characters accordingly. Thus, A Dance with Dragons predominantly deals with the characters that Martin had neglected in A Feast for Crows and mostly tells of the events unfolding around Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon in the north, along with those of Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister in the east. It's worth noting however, that towards the end of the book Martin passes the events in A Feast for Crows and continues to advance the story of ASoIaF as a whole by including his entire ensemble of POV characters to set the scene for The Winds of Winter.

I wont tell you anything about the plot of the book though (because I don't want to spoil it for you), expect to say that it is every bit as gripping as its predecessors and is filled with the typically unpredictable plot lines that I have come to except of Martin. Furthermore, the book contains his usual vividly descriptive narrative that adds depth to his prose and its brutal violence, promiscuous sex and the political intrigue of the scheming lords and ladies throughout a vast array of locations helps to keep the book fresh and makes it extremely difficult to put down - something that became a great problem for me since I foolishly started reading A Dance with Dragons just before I sat some of my final year exams!

I can safely say to any fan of ASoIaF that you won't be disappointed with A Dance with Dragons though and it's certainly a worthy instalment of the series, being both fast moving and shocking so you're left routing for certain characters, hating others and fearing for the lives of many more in the true style George R. R. Martin! And, by the end of the book, the events have begun to boil up in a manner that is going to make The Winds of Winter a very exciting read! Thus, I would recommend reading A Dance with Dragons to anyone who is a fan of the series (both of the books and HBO's TV show) and recommend beginning ASoIaF as a whole to anyone who hasn't read it before. Be warned though that the book takes a long time to read and could easily take over your life!