Patrick Rothfuss

A while ago I saw a book with a very nice cover and title in the Waterstone. The book was called The Name of the Wind. I absolutely loved the title, so I picked up, read the summary and bought it. It took me a while before I started to read it, but it was absolutely amazing!

It's been a while since I enjoyed reading a book so much, it became one of my favourite books. What I like so much about it is the way the story is told. The story is actually told by the main character himself, Kvothe. The part where you see the older Kvothe, is in third person. When you see the young Kvothe (the story) it is in first person. Normally I don't laugh out loud when reading a book, but I did with this one. There are really funny things in it. Another point that makes the book so good for me is the fact that I have no idea if I like or dislike Kvothe. Sometimes I feel sorry for him, but a few pages further I could slap him hard in the face for his stupidity.

Since I liked the book so much, I decided to look up some information about the author and what other books he had written. To my surprise, this was his very first book. He has done a very very good job with his very first book! He surely is, for me, the best fantasy writer I've read so far (but than again, I still have to read books from Jordan, Sanderson etc)

Now I am going to read H;P Lovecraft and when that is finished, I am going to read the second book The Wise Man's Fear. I have very high expectations of it and I hope I wont be disappointed. By the way, the series is called "Kingkiller Chronicle"

Small War Horse review + talk about horses

A few days ago I went to the theatre to see War Horse, a film by Steven Spielberg based on the novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. It's written for children, but the film is defiantly not fir for children.

I was really surprised that the film was so harsh and cruel. The book isn't that hard in my opinion.

I cried a lot during the film and I don't think I ever want to see the film again, even thought it was very very good and touching. I hope the film gets rewarded with an oscar, it really deserves it.

Besides the very harsh subject, there was room for some humor in it. It came on some very unexpected moments and that made it even better. It was supposed to be a Christmas film, but it came out pretty late here in Belgium and you really get a bit of Christmas feeling while watching it( or at least, I did.)

What I hope is that when people watch this film, they realise how much horses have done for men. Now they are pets. We keep them because we ride them as hobby. While a lot of people try to give them a horse worthy life, a lot don't bother about it. I hate people who keep their horses in a too small stable 23 hours a day. I would never ever do that, expect if it's needed for a medical problem. Horses deserved a good life shared with friends and enough food and water. Their ancestors brought men to battle. To the danger, while horses normally run away from danger. In those battles they died beside men or won victories with them. Isn't that brave? They worked for us, so we could have food. They transported us through the cities so we didn't have to walk. They provided us with food. They pulled our cannons, while they were way to heavy for them to pull. How noble is that? How brave is that? And still loads and loads of horses are being neglected and abused.

In my opinion, there is no truer friend to men then a horse, no braver and more noble animal then a horse.

Small book update

I really have to read a bit more. I have 16 unread books on my bookshelves and there are 3 more on it's way, so that is 19 books! Well at least I cannot complain that I don't have anything to read!

The last two books I've read are Dracula by Bram Stoker and War Horse by Michael Morpurgo.

I have read Dracula a long time ago and I decided to read it again, in English this time. I really like the journal style and the characters. I love the story, best vampire story ever but what I dislike is that the characters befriend each other so annoyingly quick. In a matter of minutes they become best friends and they will give their life for one another and it is really hard to comprehend that. And more than once it annoyed me. Another thing that I hated was that the men looked at the women as weak and easily scared. I know it's an old story, but still.

I absolutely loved War Horse. It is a very good book. Some of the characters are a bit shallow and the way the horses think is just terrible wrong, but well, old story and I think it will be very hard to write a story from a horse's point of view if you make the horse think like horses actually think. What I enjoyed the most about the books is that you see the war through the eyes of a horse. It's a really entertaining and relaxing story, but there are some emotional moments in it. The funniest thing is that Joey, the horse who tells the story, looks almost exactly as my horse!

Right now I am reading A Clash of Kings, the second book of George R.R. Martins Song of Ice and Fire series. I am really enjoying it book and I'm really curious how it is going to end. 

The material girls in me.

Sometimes I wonder if there are things I can't live without, and I am talking material items, not persons or animals, and I realized that it is a very difficult question. I am used to so much luxury that it is hard to image living without it.

As and example, my computer and internet are part of my daily life. I almost use it daily and it's one of my most use relaxation and time passing method. It is really scary to consider how much time I have spent in front of a computer screen. What will I do if someone just takes it away from me? Well I think I will be utterly bored and get irritated. I know I could live without a computer if needed, but I prefer not to. I love gaming too much and it is a great way to keep in contact with my friends and to meet knew people from all around the world.

Next up, books. I will go crazy if I can't read any books, or am allowed to own books. I love reading so much. Books can take me away from this cruel world and let me experience things I never thought possible. It's also a great source of gaining more knowledge and to extend your vocabulary. Sometimes I think I love books more then anything else in the world. Seems a bit silly, no?

The last one I can think of is my Ipod (or my phone or another mp3 player). Music is such a splendid therapy. If I feel really bad and listen to the right music, it can cheer my up. I just love to lie in bed and listen to music, just enjoying it. Waiting is a lot more bearable when you are listening to music. Time just seems to pass faster when you are trying to decipher the meaning of those lyrics or while screaming as loud as you can with the song (mentally, or vocally). I always get into a bad mood when I have to take the bus or go for a walk and the battery of my Ipod is dead. So yes, my Ipod is pretty important to me.

Besides the basic needs of life (food, clothes, house, …) I cannot thing of any other luxury item that I will miss terribly when it is going to be taken away from me for some silly reason. It's not a lot, but still more then enough. If we ever need to abandon everything to shelter from some disaster, I will take those three things with me, thought I will probably not be able to save all the books I own.

So what of you guys? Is there something material you don't want to miss, whatever happens?  

Book: Inheritance Cycle

I'm writing this on December 27, without knowing when I will be able to post is, since the internet at home decided to stop working. I do think I will be able to post it Friday, when I'm going back to my BF, but hopefully it will be sooner.

Now, on with the actual blog. I want to write a review about t the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. For those who do not know the cycle, I will write down a very brief summary.

The Inheritance Cycle consists of four books: Eragon (there is a film based on this book, with the same title, but the film doesn't follow the book entirely and loads of (important) things have been cut out), Eldest, Briningr and Inheritance. The Cycle follow a young boy who because a Dragon Rider after he found a dragon egg while hunting. From a farm boy he grows into a representative of hope, for he is the only free Dragon Rider and he assumed to be the only person who has a change of besting the current power hunger king, Galbatorix. Together with a band of rebels, Eragon tries to become powerful enough to have a chance against Galbatorix, but his journey isn't an easy one.

While I read the books, I can't help but notice that the setting is a bit cliché, but that doesn't make the books less fun to read, since Paolini put a lot of effort in creating the world and making it feel real. There is no prefect race, for everyone of them has flaws, nor is there a flawless character. I love the way we see a lot of the character develop throughout the cycle and how we slowly get to know the world better and it's mysteries. I also like that there is a lot of variation in the books. We see grand and smaller battles, sieges, politics, friendship, a little bit of romance, loads of magic, travelling, etc...

While Paolini isn't the best writer I know, he is a very good storyteller. While I read the books, I was travelling with Eragon and his friends instead of just reading about it. I fought the battles side by side with Eragon and killed as many enemies as he did. I fell in love with the characters and the world and especially the magic. The magic system is so complicated, but not difficult to understand and I love that. I hate simplistic things, but I hate bad explained things even more. That's what so cool about Paolini. He manages to describer complicated things in such a manner, they are easy to understand, if you are willing to use your brains a bit while reading.

This review is getting long! I'm just going to add one more thing. There is still so much we don't know. I am not going to say what, for it will be spoilers. And I am so curious about certain things, that I hope that some time, we will get the answers. In April I am going to meet Paolini (if everything goes as planned) and I have a few question I am going to ask and I hope he will write more books soon, because I really like his writing style.

These four books have enchanted me from the first letter till the very last. At one point, I even had to blink away a tear and I don't cry fast while reading. I'm happy I finished them, because it was such a wonderful journey, but I am sad that I have to wait to read more and I have no idea how long the wait will be.

So if you are looking for a book or a series to read and you like fantasy, especially dragons and magic, I really recommend the Inheritance Cycle.

PS: From now on I'm going to try to write a small review from every book I have read, while I am not a journalist, nor skilled at reviewing, I'll try to make it as interesting as possible. Tips and tricks are always welcome!  At the moment I am reading Dracula by Bram Stooker! 

Creating a world

For a while now, I would love to write a story that would someday be published, in other words, a book. For years I have written (not all finished) stories with characters and worlds that are not my own but I never had an good idea to write a story around until now. I am not going to say what my idea is, because I'm afraid someone else is going to use it.

Before I can write the story however, I have to shape the world and let everything make sense since it is going to be a fantasy story situated in another universe. I never thought writing a fantasy novel is so difficult and needs so much preparation. Every world has a history, and every race has it's own customs and traditions. Who rules the world and how? From what are the houses built and why? Loads of work, and the funniest thing is that most of the things I need to figure out, aren't important in the plot, but will make the world seem more real and realistic. So far I defined the basis of one race, but it still needs a lot more refining.

I will need to put a lot of work and effort in this story if ever want to finish it, but it might be that it would never be published. I know I am not yet good enough, but if I don't practise, or try, how can I get better? So I'm just going to go for it and see where I end up. If I get published, awesome! If I don't, at least I tried.