Update.....

Well, it's been quite awhile since I posted here. However, that's not because I haven't been reading! In recent months I've reread the works of James Clavell and several of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

I attempted to read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova but gave up as my memory problems were making it somewhat arduous. However, I will go back to it in the future as I did enjoy the parts i can remember (it's a sort of vampire/ historic novel, I suspect with a twist in it somewhere beyond where I read up to!).

I did manage The Last Legion by Valerio Massimio Manfredi which I thoroughly enjoyed; in fact I've ordered another of his novels from the library! The story is of the young Emperor Romulus Augustus fleeing the Empire under the protection of a grizzled veteran legionnaire and an aged druid from Britannia.... it gives a different spin to the Arthurian legend which was interesting. But the novels great strength lies in the ease with which the author evokes the Roman world. He uses few words to paint vivid pictures; he depicts the minutiae of working life in the ancient world with an ease and confidence which feels almost documentary rather than fiction. I later discovered that Manfredi is an Italian Professor of History and Archaeology - so it's hardly surprising his knowledge of Roman life is so impressive! That said what I absolutely enjoyed the most about this book was the following, taken from the acknowledgements:

"....and to Giancarla at Freccia's Bar, whose matchless espresso always starts my day off right."

The bulk of my reading time has been occupied trolling through Terry Brooks' Shannara Chronicles. This huge slab of epic fantasy managed to slip under my radar in my youth, so I thought I would catch up on it now. It's not too taxing (!) and is hugely formulaic, which really helps with my poor memory - I can guess what I've forgotten! The stories are moderately engaging and, although two-dimensional, you know what you're getting with the characters which is comforting. So far I've waded through 5 of the books and have 2 to go (I knw there are later ones as well but frankly I've nearly had enough), so the end is in sight!

I'm sure I've reaad other stuff as well but I can't remember what!

'Eragon' and 'Eldest' by Christopher Paolini, 2003 and 2005

See here and here for plot outlines and links to reviews.

I really wanted to like these books. The first was written by a guy in his teens and made into a movie... surely it can't be that bad. Well, they certainly aren't great. The writing style isn't as noticeably pretentious as I expected; there are some passages that have been written thesaurus in hand however. A lot of the dialogue is worse than Star Wars and does not sound real at all.

The story, characters, events all feel very familiar. In fact it borrows heavily from Star Wars and LOTR and falls into all the cliches of "epic fantasy". Its even going to be a trilogy - the biggest cliche of all! To be fair I found it compelling reading at times and I often wanted to find out what would happen next, even though I had a pretty good idea. The idea of using magic instead of shaing I found original (and rather sensible) but that was the one original idea. As usual the books are filled with made up names for people and places.... apart from Angela, whose name sticks out like a sore thumb!

I suppose I will read the final installment at some point but I won't be too disappointed if I forget.

If you like your epic-fantasy cliched and unoriginal then you may enjoy this. Otherwise, see the movie - it will be over quicker.