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Nov. 27th, 2009 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
issenlloMy big sister just watched Twilight and was telling me how great it was because "the vampires aren't ugly-looking like on Buffy, they sparkle in the sun! And they're vegetarians!"
Heheheh. I guess if you never grew up with the idea that vampires had to be slinking about in the shadows and be... well, evil and soulless, the concept of sparkly vampires works.
***
I joined a gym lately and I'm a bit dismayed at the further loss of my limited free time. But well... I've been feeling flabby for months and wanted to change that, so. I feel like a hamster when I'm working out, but otherwise it's been fun. On the other hand, I'm starting to be horrified by how much this is making me judge other people's bodies. I used to notice nice clothes more--now I'm looking at people and thinking that they need to lose weight. This is a terrible mindset to have. >_>;;;
So far, I've been amused that my gym-going schedule is determined by 1) its opening hours, 2) where did I put my gym shoes, and 3) when I need to wash my hair.
***
Bookblog
I kept putting this off.
Spoilers herein.
Title: The Return of Nightfall
Author: Mickey Zucker Reichert
To be perfectly cynical, when I saw there was a sequel to The Legend of Nightfall, about 14, 15 years down the road, I thought it was like a movie franchise and so clearly couldn't be any good. But the character of Nightfall had been memorable, so I gave it a read.
The plot picks up directly from where the first book ended, when Nightfall, ex-legendary thief and assassin, has just been made adviser to the new king of Alyndar, Edward, and is trying to get used to it all. Then he goes on a mission with Edward out of the country and loses him. Well, Edward gets kidnapped, and for some reason Nightfall aka his civilian name Sudian quietly goes along with the explanation that all's fine, Edward's just just been held for ransom and this is what royals do.
Anyway, he returns to Alyndar, learns to his horror that the king's adviser is supposed to do the king's job in his absence, and panics all the way out of Alyndar to find Edward again. Anyway, he has to don his old identities/disguises to get the information he wants, and after an adventure on the sea with a pirate ship and its captain (there was a moment of pre-slash... which came to nothing) he finally finds Edward. And then they go home.
The book starts slow, packing in quite a bit of background about the bookverse and how its magical system works, and how evil sorcerors are. I think it takes a bit too long to get fully into the story of how Sudian, who had assumed that he was leaving behind his old life, is forced to go back to it and maybe get lose himself in it--but I feel that the angst about it isn't that convincing.
The world-building is pretty good, though, detailed when it needs to be, and the action scenes move nicely, and the emotional scenes are decent portrayed without being sappy. I like the details about Nightfall's various disguises, which shows his understanding of different classes. (I'm just a bit peeved at why he's so street-smart and then so naive about being a king's adviser. I know these two areas don't necessarily correlate, but...)
Anyway, it was a good read, could have done with a taking out the chunks of politicising in Alyndar in the middle portion, but fun for a fantasy read.
Am reading Margaret Mahy's Heriot, that's up for the next bookblog.
Heheheh. I guess if you never grew up with the idea that vampires had to be slinking about in the shadows and be... well, evil and soulless, the concept of sparkly vampires works.
***
I joined a gym lately and I'm a bit dismayed at the further loss of my limited free time. But well... I've been feeling flabby for months and wanted to change that, so. I feel like a hamster when I'm working out, but otherwise it's been fun. On the other hand, I'm starting to be horrified by how much this is making me judge other people's bodies. I used to notice nice clothes more--now I'm looking at people and thinking that they need to lose weight. This is a terrible mindset to have. >_>;;;
So far, I've been amused that my gym-going schedule is determined by 1) its opening hours, 2) where did I put my gym shoes, and 3) when I need to wash my hair.
***
Bookblog
I kept putting this off.
Spoilers herein.
Title: The Return of Nightfall
Author: Mickey Zucker Reichert
To be perfectly cynical, when I saw there was a sequel to The Legend of Nightfall, about 14, 15 years down the road, I thought it was like a movie franchise and so clearly couldn't be any good. But the character of Nightfall had been memorable, so I gave it a read.
The plot picks up directly from where the first book ended, when Nightfall, ex-legendary thief and assassin, has just been made adviser to the new king of Alyndar, Edward, and is trying to get used to it all. Then he goes on a mission with Edward out of the country and loses him. Well, Edward gets kidnapped, and for some reason Nightfall aka his civilian name Sudian quietly goes along with the explanation that all's fine, Edward's just just been held for ransom and this is what royals do.
Anyway, he returns to Alyndar, learns to his horror that the king's adviser is supposed to do the king's job in his absence, and panics all the way out of Alyndar to find Edward again. Anyway, he has to don his old identities/disguises to get the information he wants, and after an adventure on the sea with a pirate ship and its captain (there was a moment of pre-slash... which came to nothing) he finally finds Edward. And then they go home.
The book starts slow, packing in quite a bit of background about the bookverse and how its magical system works, and how evil sorcerors are. I think it takes a bit too long to get fully into the story of how Sudian, who had assumed that he was leaving behind his old life, is forced to go back to it and maybe get lose himself in it--but I feel that the angst about it isn't that convincing.
The world-building is pretty good, though, detailed when it needs to be, and the action scenes move nicely, and the emotional scenes are decent portrayed without being sappy. I like the details about Nightfall's various disguises, which shows his understanding of different classes. (I'm just a bit peeved at why he's so street-smart and then so naive about being a king's adviser. I know these two areas don't necessarily correlate, but...)
Anyway, it was a good read, could have done with a taking out the chunks of politicising in Alyndar in the middle portion, but fun for a fantasy read.
Am reading Margaret Mahy's Heriot, that's up for the next bookblog.