The Master by Claire North

by Carol1 Comment
Ah - the last of the trilogy. I'm sad to see it end. Honestly - read it. If you enjoy fantasy or games or just thrillers for that matter, this is a great set of novellas. In this last one, we even have a love story of sorts. This time around the game is chess and our narrator has become one of the players, a player in the Great Game - the game for control of the Gameshouse. His name is Silver and he's been working toward this moment for ages. He's a King in the game, of course, and has gathered forces that he can deploy. His opponent has her own resources, possibly more powerful than his. This one had even more action than the last two. Chess is a dangerous game, but it also has more meaning - for the world as a whole and for Silver personally. My one complaint had to do with a part near the end. Silver...
Read More

The Thief by Claire North

by Carol2 Comments
I'm not a fan of playing hide-and-seek. When I was a kid, I was always afraid everyone else would go inside or to another kid's house and just leave me hiding. I don't think it ever actually happened, but that doesn't mean I didn't worry about it. And it was even worse if it was dark. The hide-and-seek game in The Thief is awesome though. The "board" is Thailand in the 1930s and the stakes are huge, but the game might be unfairly weighted. This is the second in the trilogy and I think they should definitely be read, or listened to, in order. Thene's game in The Serpent was not exactly fair either, but that was nothing in comparison to the disadvantages our player is dealing with here. It's a thread thoughout - the Gameshouse may not be as fair as it (she) would like you to believe. Once again, North does  wonderful job building her world. Thailand in the 30s...
Read More

The Serpent by Claire North

by Carol3 Comments
We play a lot of games at our house- for me it's mostly board games. I just don't feel the draw of video games that Amber and David do, but I love board games. We play a variety, from old standards to newer ones, board games, card games, dice. That's what drew me to the Gameshouse trilogy. I love that North took playing games and made into a world transforming power. The Serpent is the first of the novellas. The story is told to us by the narrator, an unseen watcher who takes us with him as he observes the gamers. He's sly and smart and his outlook rubs off on us. I listened to the audio and this narration style worked really well that way. The narrator was the narrator, if that makes sense. It's short, but rich and full. I love the way North uses language and world she creates, both of historic Venice and the Gameshouse itself. Thene is an...
Read More

Sci-fi Summer Read-a-thon Update Day 2

by Carol1 Comment
The Sci-Fi Summer Read-a-thon is hosted by Michelle @ Seasons of Reading. Here are the details: Read-a-Thon dates: Wednesday, June 1 at 12:00am CST until Tuesday, June 7 at 11:59pm CST (adjust your time zone accordingly). I wanted to try out a different day configuration this time. Since Sci-Fi is a very specific genre, this will be strictly reading science fiction during the event. However, since fantasy is so closely related to science fiction, if you feel more comfortable reading fantasy, that is also fine. To check in on Twitter, we'll use hashtag #SciFiSummerJune As usual, you do not have to have a blog to participate...feel free to link up and check in from Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc. These days, it seems most of our activity goes on in our Facebook group which I love. The interaction in our group is fabulous! Day 2 Update: Books finished: None Books started: None In the middle of: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick and The Sudden Appearance...
Read More

Sci-fi Summer Read-a-thon Update Day 1

by CarolNo Comments
The Sci-Fi Summer Read-a-thon is hosted by Michelle @ Seasons of Reading. Here are the details: Read-a-Thon dates: Wednesday, June 1 at 12:00am CST until Tuesday, June 7 at 11:59pm CST (adjust your time zone accordingly). I wanted to try out a different day configuration this time. Since Sci-Fi is a very specific genre, this will be strictly reading science fiction during the event. However, since fantasy is so closely related to science fiction, if you feel more comfortable reading fantasy, that is also fine. To check in on Twitter, we'll use hashtag #SciFiSummerJune As usual, you do not have to have a blog to participate...feel free to link up and check in from Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc. These days, it seems most of our activity goes on in our Facebook group which I love. The interaction in our group is fabulous! Day 1 Update: Books finished: The Day of the Dragonking by Terry Irving (started before the read-a-thon) Books started: The Man in the High Castle by Philip...
Read More

Thursday’s Tale: The Ant and the Cicada

by Carol7 Comments
If you saw my Saturday Snapshot post, you know we have cicadas at the moment. They "sing" all day long, a drone that you can even hear inside. So, I went looking for a cicada folktale. "The Ant and the Cicada" is a fable by Jean de la Fontaine. Having sung the summer through, Cicada found herself quite destitute. And when the North Wind blew, Provisions being less than scant, She crawled on down to neighbor ant With cries of famine, Hoping to borrow just a bit of seed To tide her over till the coming Spring. “I’ll pay of course,” she tried to plead, “Before the month of August, Both interest and principal. Come, trust a fellow animal!” The ant however is no lender; Lending is the least of all her flaws. “Could you tell me what you did On all those hot dry days?” She asked the borrower. “Night and day, my pardon to you ants, I sang, for one and all.” “You sang? I am enthralled! Now all you have to do is dance.” The understanding then it that the...
Read More