Prisoner of Ironsea tower - Book two of The Tears of Artamon

In Prisoner of Ironsea tower - Book two of The Tears of Artamon by Sarah Ash...

Gavril Andar, now named Gavril Nagarian, has gotten rid of the Drakhaoul in his body and with it all his powers. Now an ordinary man, Azhkendir no longer has its protection and is vulnerable to attacks. Reuniting the five Tears of Artamon, Prince Eugene takes over not only Azhkendir, but also reconstructs New Rossiya, becoming its self-declared emperor. He orders Gavril to be locked in an asylum for the insane, a tower on an island, for life. Gavril slowly feels his sanity slips away, not only because of his surroundings, but also because of the absence of the Drakhaoul. He yearns for it to return, to save him from the tower and from this insanity that is slowly eating him up inside.

Prince Eugene, now Emperor of New Rossiya, has great plans for New Rossiya. Good plans that would benefit the people like it has for the Tielens. However, things aren't turning out the way they should - there are riots and killings, people aren't cooperating, and Eugene turns to force to try and keep things under control. Yet having Rossiya and Astasia still are not enough for him. Eugene desire for more power - he desire to possess the Drakhaoul.

In the midst of these two problems, several others adds to the already building up tension. Gavril's mother, Elysia manages to return home to Smarna but is invovled in the riots that are the source of problems for Emperor Eugene. Although Eugene thought he would be able to overcome Smarna by force and with ease, his plans were destroyed, with much surprise.

KiuKiu's love for Gavril only deepened and she would do anything to see him again. Others make use this weakness of hers to make her do what they want, eventually landing her into trouble.

Lies are told, truths uncovered, demons unleashed and there are never short of surprises. This book is more of a stepping stone to the third and final book of this trilogy. If you have not read the first book, it is advisable for you to do so, to fully understand what is happening and be able to fully engage the story. Unlike the ending of the first book which actually has a proper sort of ending, this book does not end fully, leaving readers craving for more.

Once you understand the politics involved in the first book, however, that in the second book is easier to digest. Also advisable to read the second book soon after the first one to avoid forgetting the links between various important and similar names.

Characters are developed even further. There are some characters who seem to have been given a great deal more depth than others. These are the ones one can easily sympathise with. Somehow I can't help feeling that the female characters such as Astasia and Elysia could be be developed more and more attention given to KiuKiu as well. It is perhaps because I felt that the book should be thicker and more in depth. There is so much potential to be developed that I wonder if the last book will be able to cover it all or if there is a need for it to be more than just a trilogy.

On the overall, it is a great book to read and I look forward to the last book, Children of the Serpent Gate. Unfortunately, it won't be soon since it was only published in 2005 in the UK and might take some time for it to be in Singapore, not to mention the libraries.

Here are reviews from Amazon.co.uk.

The Godfather

"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."

Immortal words, by Marlon Brando, playing Don Vito Corleone in the movie version of this book. The Godfather is a thrilling epic, chronicling the events and happenings of the Corleone Family, one of the Five Families in New York. It was written by Mario Puzo, drawing upon his years of experience as a journalist to write a story loosely based on the real-life Mafia, including the multi-tiered structure of a Mafia family, designed so that the highest levels of command i.e. the Don himself would be free from legal prosecution.

The book actually follows two storylines, : one chronicles the rise of a young Vito from a boy running away from the Sicillian Mafia which killed his father, to become the greatest Mafia chief in the United States. It is a direct look into the inner workings of the family, and the tactics employed by the Don and his family in extending their empire. The other storyline follows Johnny Fontane, the Don's godson, and his path to success in Hollywood. This storyline branches out from the beginning of the book, where Fontane meets the Don for advice on how to handle his life, and is far more subtle than the other more direct storyline. In the Fontane story, the Don takes a backseat, in terms of visibility, but we get to see the effects of his power from a more indirect manner. In a sense, this makes his power even more chilling, as it seems to extend everywhere.

While there is plenty of action in this book, including murder and guns, it is written in an almost reporter-style, objectively, without any unnecessary narrative flourishes. It is very unlike pulp fiction novels of today where the action is written in almost excessive detail. In 'The Godfather', the description involved in the action is kept to a minimum, since the key of the book is the purpose of the action, and not the action itself.

For all that, the main underlying theme behind the book is power. The Don is an immensenly powerful character, with the understanding that to be successful in life, one must not let other men's will overpower his own. To this end, he has several fundamental beliefs that are the keystone of his power. For example, one is the belief that business must be separated from emotion. As one of the characters says: "It's business, not personal." A reading of this book will give a much clearer understanding of the concepts behind the personal force of a man.

A five star book which led to a five star movie. I know this is an extremely old book (it is set in the post-WW2 period, when the Mafia was extremely powerful in the USA), but the concepts and ideas in the book are immortal.

HELLBOY - The Lost Army

HELLBOY - The Lost Army by Christopher Golden (illustrations by Mike Mignola) was published in 1997. It is based on comic-book character Hellboy, the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator, and is the first novel to be written in its transition from comic to novel.

Hellboy, a demon with leather-hide-red-skin, hoofs, once-there-now-gone-horns complete with a tail is a top agent for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development. This time round he is off to the Egyptian desert to help the research team solve a mystery which had spanned across centuries and that is once again scrutinised because of the disappearance of an archaelogical team. Not only the people in an archaelogical team, but their equipment, their camp and everything else. Not to mention that around 525 B.C. a fifty thousand-strong Persian army crossing the desert also mysteriously disappeared in the same fashion.

Investigation leads them to the Oasis of Ammon as the source of it all. The dead speak of warnings and the un-dead Persian soldiers rise from under the oasis to kill them. It is soon realized that they might have gotten more than they had bargained for. An immortal sorcerer named Hazred wants to bring back the spirit of a magician for whom he is servant to and who he worships, to this plane. Those who interfere with his and his master's plan will suffer an attack from The Lost Army - the undead Persian soldiers.

And the tool of his resurrection is Hellboy.

Personally I don't read Hellboy comics, so I don't know if I have to read it to like this book. Plainly, I don't like this book. Wouldn't pick up another of its series except maybe to see if the rest of the novels are better. It's a bit too direct for my liking. Reminds me of when I was younger and tried to write stories. The questions that popped into your mind when reading it the book answers very quickly. I just don't like the style nor the way the characters were portrayed. It is a bit too typical, making it quite a boring read. I keep getting the feeling that the book is making a lame joke. Characters are a bit too shallow, in my opinion. Could not sympathise, identify with or like most of the characters, although I thought the author did a relatively better job on Captain Creaghan and Colonel Shapiro. In short, the action and military parts were a bit better. Didn't like the romance parts at all. It could be because I had no prior knowledge of this character nor its adventures.

The storyplot don't seem to fit its title. The story doesn't centralize on the Lost Army but on the mystery behind it. Instead, the army is more of a tool, a small portion of the storyline. However, the idea of the story is good and would be better if developed further, given it a bit more depth. I thought that the plot is not suited for a novel and really would be better if it became a movie instead. All the things that I don't like would really be a lot better if it is acted out, I guess. Then again, Christopher Golden is a horror writer and Hellboy doesn't seem a lot like a horror book. Also take into consideration that this is the first novel of the transformation from comic to novel. The rest could be better. Pick it up yourself and read it, then tell me how.

Here are reviews from amazon.com. Very different from mine, I'd say. Guess you would have to be a hellboy comic lover to like this book.

The Eyre Affair

Imagine, if you will, an alternative 1985. A world where the Crimean war is still raging, where airships are the preferred mode of transport, where dodos have been re-engineered, and time travel is possible. If you can wrap your mind around this, you're well prepared to emerge on this book. Put aside all conceptions of what the world used to be like in 1985, and experience instead the world which Jasper Fforde has created in this book.

The main protagonist is Ms Thursday Next, who the book cover describes as a 'literary detective' without equal, fear or boyfriend. She works for SpecOps, a law-enforcement organisation dealing with elements that are too specialised for regular police. In Fforde's England, literature has been taken to a whole new level, with even organised crime moving into the literary market. As her job suggests, her branch deals with literary crimes, including bootleg versions of the works of Byron, Keats, and Poe. The book starts off with the original first edition of Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit being stolen, and then heads off into a free-wheeling frenzy of excitement and adventure and romance, which contains Fforde's own subtle commentary on views as diverse as mercantilism and warfare.

Literature enthusiasts, however, would recognise that from the title that a great deal of attention is going to be placed on Jane Eyre, the classic novel written by Charlotte Bronte. It is the story of Jane Eyre which forms the key plot point of this book, which leads up to a wonderful twist in the story that Jane Eyre fans can truly appreciate.

The Eyre Affair often spirals off into many themes and subplots, yet never veers too far off track that it becomes irritating. Fforde's humour lies in the usage of words and literary devices, and he expresses his love for literature in the same way (Within the story, a book's author is named as Millon de Floss.) Even assuming that one is unable to appreciate the clever wordplay, the story itself works fine as an action/adventure narrative, as long as you can handle the undisputed craziness. Not one for the stoic reader, but I rate it an excellent read.

Note: This is the first of a four-book series.

Lord of Snow and Shadows - Book one of the Tears of Artamon

Ever since I've watched and read the Harry Potter series, I've been kind of hooked onto fantasy stories. This first book of the Tears of Artamon series by Sarah Ash was published in 2003, a fantasy series. If you are looking for a book that trains your mind and memory, incorporating magic, military, politics and love (and I don't mean just one kind), this book is a good place to start with. It's got a great storyline involving magical power, war, betrayal and love. The storyline builds upon the strength of the Drakhaol and bascially tells us how Gavril becomes Lord Drakhaon of Azhkendir, including how he handles the troubles that comes with the title and power.
Main characters, if I really have to name them, includes Gavril Andar, KiuKiu (the servant girl), Elysia (Gavril's mother), Prince Eugene of Tielen... The number of people who are important to the storyline in this book are far too many to name as each of their actions contribute to how the story turns out.
In Lord of Snow and Shadows, politics and spies are intricately interwoven into the story. Hatred and subsequently, wars, are based not only on the urge to increase one's position and power among the lands, but also for love. There are twists in the plot that one would never expect, making the read more exciting.

Like I said, I am hooked onto fantasy stories since Harry Potter. I can't compare this book with the HP series mainly because I haven't read the other books in the Artamon series yet. This book can be read on its own, or considered as a setting for the subsequent books. I have a fascination with the politics involved in these fantasy stories. Sarah Ash uses mainly spies instead of outright politics to fuel the storyline, but I would have preferred if there were more politics involved. Then again, the main idea of the book and perhaps the series, is on the power of the Drakhaol, not politics. Still, I like the way the spies are everywhere. The different perceptions in this book by the different characters in different scenes forces you to think if the actions made by the characters are important or not. That as a spy, what information you could gain from all that you hear (or read). Furthermore, sometimes I get confused as to who is spy for whom, which just makes the read all the more thrilling.

There is also unexpected love and friendship. Gavril's vastly different ideas because he was brought up differently by the people of Azhkendir that makes one fear for him and his decisions while reading. The main element in this book is of course magic/sorcery, which is really quite nicely developed.
There are far too many things in the book for me to discuss. It's complex, yet it is also simple. This book is really worth a read and only after you have read it will you understand what I mean by it having complexity and simplicity all together.

If you need more assurance that it's good: I could hardly put the book down.
Here's a review from sffworld.com.

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