More Posts By Peter
Review: Half a War – Joe Abercrombie
Skara, princess of Throvenland, narrowly escapes the clutches of Bright Yilling, sent to kill her family and take Throvenland for the High King. See flees to Gettland to beg King Uthil and his ally Grom-gil-Gorm to honour their word and set Throvenland free – but even if they do, what place can Skara and Throvenland take in the alliance, and can they withstand the might of the High King’s armies? Meanwhile, Raith, Grom-gil-Gorm’s cupbearer, is assigned to guard Skara – but that role swiftly turns out to be a cover for something else.
Review: Half the World – Joe Abercrombie
Thorn Bathu wants to be warrior, but when she accidentally kills a boy in the training square, the odds of her achieving that goal look very long. Brand wants to be a warrior too, but when he speaks up on behalf of Thorn, his road, too, is diverted. Meanwhile, Father Yarvi, minister of king Uthil of Gettland, needs to find allies in the seeming inevitable wars Gettland will find itself in the near future. And when a kingdom is surrounded by enemies, it needs to look for allies further afield…
Review: Half a King – Joe Abercrombie
Yarvi was training to become a minister, but when his father, the king of Gettland, and his older brother are killed by warriors of neighbouring Vansterland on a sea voyage, he is called to the throne instead. But how can a weak man with only one healthy hand lead the nation of Gettland – and how can a man that is only half a man avenge the death of his father against the Vanstermen?
Review: The Other Wind – Ursula Le Guin
Alder is a village sorcerer whose dreams are haunted by his dead wife Lily, reaching across to him across the Wall of Stones that separates the land of the living from the land of the death. Alder travels to the mages of Roke for counsel, but they send him on to speak to Ged, once arch-mage, who now lives a quiet farmer’s life on Gont; for Ged knows more of the land of the dead than anybody alive in Earthsea.
Review: Tales from Earthsea – Ursula Le Guin
In this collection of novellas and short stories, Ursula Le Guin discovers places and eras of Earthsea that neither she nor the reader visited before, fleshing out and filling in the history of Earthsea and its wizards: from the origins of the school of magic on Roke Island to the first time a woman enters the front door of the exclusively male institution in a long time.
Review: Tehanu – Ursula Le Guin
After Ged left her in the care of Ogion, the once-priestess Tenar drifted away from power and greatness and has instead started a life as a normal woman with a goat herder on Gont, dedicating herself to the care for her children, of her blood and adopted. It is only when Ogion calls her back because he wants to tell her one last thing that she gets involved in the great affairs of Earthsea once again.
Review: The Greenhollow Duology – Silver in the Wood & Drowned Country – Emily Tesh
In a cabin in Greenhollow Wood lives Tobias Finch. While the outside world knows him as the ‘Wild Man’, he sees himself as the steward of the wood, protecting the villagers from the evil beings that roam under the boughs. Mostly, though, he works on keeping his cabin in order. And he keeps a cat. When his new landlord, Henry Silver, a young scholar of folklore, passes by on a rainy night, Tobias invites him in. Their acquaintance will bring drastic change to Tobias’ centuries-long routine.
Review: Ogen van Tijgers / Eyes of Tigers – Tonke Dragt
Jock Martijn is a former planetary explorer who was fired from the service and now lives out his life in alcoholism and internal struggle as a part-time painter and creative coach for delinquent youth in the overstructured society back home on Earth. His life changes when a new rebellious youth is assigned to his group, and the space ship Evening Star returns home from Venus with two of his former colleagues, who have important news to share with the rest of humanity.
Review: Age of Myth – Michael J. Sullivan
Almost by accident, Raithe, a human warrior hunting out on forbidden lands, kills a god. By doing so, he sets in motion a series of events that will irreversibly change the relationship between humans and their Fhrey overlords. Meanwhile, Persephone must overcome loss and grief to manoeuvre the people of the human settlement of Dahl Rhen safely through the inevitable conflict – while a demon is lurking in the forst just beyond the town palissade.
Review: Torenhoog en Mijlenbreed / Wide as England, Tall as a Spire – Tonke Dragt
Planetary researcher Edu arrives on Venus for his second tour of duty exploring the area around the domed base. Even though the researchers are not allowed to venture into the tall forests that cover most of the planet’s surface, Edu is fascinated with them and dreams of taking a walk under their canopy.
Review: Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
Hiro Protagonist is a freelance hacker, CIC operative, best sword fighter in the world, and also a pizza courier for the Mafia. When it seems he might incur the wrath of Uncle Enzo by delivering a pizza late, he is saved by Y.T., a skateboarding courier with an attitude. They form a partnership in an attempt to unravel the ever-thickening plot around real-world diseases being spread via the digital metaverse and people attending a particular franchise church speaking in tongues.
Review: Sistersong – Lucy Holland
In 6th century Britain, three sisters, the daughters of the King of Dumnonia in modern-day Cornwall, feel their culture is beset on all sides: as Saxons invade the land, a Christian priest tries to convert the Dumnonians and convince them to abandon their old faith. When a mysterious stranger arrives at the court, the love between two of the sisters is tested – while the third feels uncomfortable in her body and the role society has given her.