A Sunday Reading Update and The Science Fiction Novel - Raymond E. Feist

It's a very nice day out there today. Currently I'm relaxing with Clyde watching curling, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts championships. Come on Saskatchewan!

I finished another book this morning and made a bit of progress on a few others. I'll provide my review and also let you know what is next on my list. I'll also continue with my look at the Science Fiction novel, today's entry a Fantasy author.

Just Finished

1. The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton. This was Catton's first novel.











"I'm not sure what to say about The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton. It was interesting and very different but I don't think I got it. At times it made me think of the Theater of the Absurd plays by Eugene Ionesco.....

So let's see. This is the basic plot line. Victoria is out of school after having an affair with her music teacher, Mr. Saladin. The other 7th form girls at the school and Victoria's sister Isolde must take sessions with the school guidance counselor to discuss the matter and their feelings. Stanley has been accepted at a local school of drama and is trying to fit in and discover himself. Isolde, Bridget and Julia take saxophone lessons from the 'saxophone teacher'. As well, the first years at Stanley's school are preparing their first play, and they decide to use the recent scandal as their theme.

OK, that's basically it. We move from Stanley to the saxophone teacher to the various teachers at the school of drama, the Head of Acting, the Head of Movement, etc, to the main girl characters, jumping back and forth and moving back and forth in recent time. There are intricately woven threads, often making you wonder if it's reality or maybe a dramatization... Very confusing at times. Is Isolde actually developing a relationship with Julia or is it a story they tell the saxophone teacher? Who is this saxophone teacher, who seems to be directing the girls' lives? Is she a teacher or a directing a play?

It is a fascinating format but I never really got it. The threads never fully resolved themselves in my mind. It was still different and interesting. The novel was written as Catton's Master thesis. Her second novel, The Luminaries won the 2013 Man Booker prize. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox. Cox is another new author for me.











"“After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn’s for an oyster supper.”

So begins an extraordinary story of betrayal and treachery, of delusion and deceit narrated by Edward Glyver. Glyver may be a bibliophile, but he is no bookworm. Employed “in a private capacity” by one of Victorian London’s top lawyers, he knows his Macrobius from his First Folio, but he has the street-smarts and ruthlessness of a Philip Marlowe. And just as it is with many a contemporary detective, one can’t always be sure whether Glyver is acting on the side of right or wrong.

As the novel begins, Glyver silently stabs a stranger from behind, killing him apparently at random. But though he has committed a callous and brutal crime, Glyver soon reveals himself to be a sympathetic and seductively charming narrator. In fact, Edward Glyver keeps the reader spellbound for 600 riveting pages full of betrayal, twists, lies, and obsession.

Glyver has an unforgettable story to tell. Raised in straitened circumstances by his novelist mother, he attended Eton thanks to the munificence of a mysterious benefactor. After his mother’s death, Glyver is not sure what path to take in life. Should he explore the new art of photography, take a job at the British Museum, continue his travels in Europe with his friend Le Grice? But then, going through his mother’s papers, he discovers something that seems unbelievable: the woman who raised him was not his mother at all. He is actually the son of Lord Tansor, one of the richest and most powerful men in England.

Naturally, Glyver sets out to prove his case. But he lacks evidence, and while trying to find it under the alias “Edward Glapthorn,” he discovers that one person stands between him and his birthright: his old schoolmate and rival Phoebus Rainsford Daunt, a popular poet (and secret criminal) whom Lord Tansor has taken a decidedly paternal interest in after the death of his only son.

Glyver’s mission to regain his patrimony takes him from the heights of society to its lowest depths, from brothels and opium dens to Cambridge colleges and the idylls of Evenwood, the Tansor family’s ancestral home. Glyver is tough and resourceful, but Daunt always seems to be a step ahead, at least until Glyver meets the beguilingly beautiful Emily Carteret, daughter of Lord Tansor’s secretary.

But nothing is as it seems in this accomplished, suspenseful novel. Glyver’s employer Tredgold warns him to trust no one: Is his enigmatic neighbour Fordyce Jukes spying on him? Is the brutal murderer Josiah Pluckthorn on his trail? And is Glyver himself, driven half-mad by the desire for revenge, telling us the whole truth in his candid, but very artful, “confession”?"

The Science Fiction Novel - Raymond E. Feist

Raymond E. Feist

Raymond E. Feist (born Raymond Elias Gonzales III) was born in Los Angeles in 1945. He is best known for his Riftwar fantasy series, novels and short stories. Most of his works are set during the Riftwar Cycle. I bought the first book in the series in 2015 and finally tried it in 2018. It was great! So I've now got the 2nd book on my bookshelf.

a. Magician: Apprentice (The Riftwar Cycle #1 / 1982).











"Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist is the first book in the Riftwar Saga and was my first experience with his stories. It's an interesting concept; the world of Pug, the self-titled Magician's Apprentice, is being invaded by enemies from another world, through a rift in 'space - time'? Or something like that.

Pug has reached the age where he and his friends of the same age, especially his best friend Tomas, are chosen for their apprentice roles within the castle of the Duke of Crydee on the West of the Kingdom. Tomas is chosen by the sword master and Pug by the Wizard Kulgan. As events occur and time passes, Pug and Tomas realize that they are being attacked by people from this other world. The Duke takes a group of his leaders, along with Pug and Tomas, to the castle of the King to warn them and encourage the King to raise armies to battle the Tsurani. It's a long journey and some things happen but a lot of it is introducing people who will probably appear in future books.

The story is an easy read but it's also a bit of a slow burn. The last half has a lot more action and adventure with the group from the beginning being separated and having their own adventures. The focus at the end is Crydee just as it started and it ends without ending. That is the way of a series isn't it?.. :0)
 
I liked the book but wasn't overwhelmed by it. However there were enough questions raised that I will try to find the 2nd book to see what happens next. It's an interesting concept for sure and there are many interesting characters. I hope in the next book we learn more about his enemy who for the most part have been relatively faceless. Worth trying if you enjoy fantasy. (3.5 stars)"

b. Magician: Master (The Riftwar Saga #2 / 1982)

"He held the fate of two worlds in his hands...

Once he was an orphan called Pug, apprenticed to a sorcerer of the enchanted land of Midkemia.. Then he was captured and enslaved by the Tsurani, a strange, warlike race of invaders from another world.

There, in the exotic Empire of Kelewan, he earned a new name--Milamber. He learned to tame the unimagined powers that lay withing him. And he took his place in an ancient struggle against an evil Enemy older than time itself."

The complete catalogue of Feist's books can be found at this link.

Have a great week and enjoy Family Day if you get to celebrate that in your particular province.