Bartimaeus's Journal|| New Addition by Jonathan Stroud

     

 Bartimaeus- one of the best books ever written, not only in my opinion but of millions, just a look at its incredible 4.36 rating at Goodreads. One which leaves one with an unexplainable, simply overpowering desire for more and more......and more!In order to sate, to an extent, the craving for more material about Bart, Jonathan Stroud has shared Bart's Journal with us on his blog. Read part of the journal below.

As part of my current charge I have been instructed to provide an occasional journal of my recent activities*. Since my most trivial thoughts are suffused with rare insight and the ringing clarity of true wisdom, this is a good deal for you. So here we go, then. Listen and be enlightened.

(*I avoid the term blog, since coincidentally this word is also the name of a repulsive sub-caste of foliots, characterised by ooze, fleshy folds and gills of blue-grey gristle. Think slugs, but with worse personalities. Magicians send them to harass their enemies in their sleep; after a night of tormented dreams, the sleeper wakes to find his bed-clothes crossed with trails of slime… Where was I? Oh, yes – this being the case, I'll stick with journal if you don't mind.)

. *I'm not one for exact timekeeping, since (a) time doesn't exist in the Other Place, (b) I'm never sure whether to use the Gregorian, Julian, Egyptian or Mayan calendars. So don't expect exact days or months. Or centuries, for that matter. Monday* In Other Place. Did nothing. Tuesday Ditto. Wednesday Yep, same again. Saw a few nice whirling colours and things. That's it. Easy, this journal lark, isn't it? Thursday Still nothing. Long may it continue. *Dangerous because any verbal hiccup while giving me my orders would break my bonds and uncage my savage wrath. Ooh, gave myself a bit of a shiver writing that. That's literary talent. Friday Well, it didn't. Today summoned painfully to earth by a short fat English magician with a dangerous stammer*. She's got some kid sidekick (in adjacent circle) to do her talking for her; a wise precaution. Through him I got my orders. She fears attack by her rival, the so-called 'Archmage of Tunbridge Wells'. I am to guard my master's property and her person. Am currently....read the rest here

The Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth|| Poem and Review by Obsidian Fury

The Paradine family has gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve. Alas, when the clock strikes twelve old Mr. James Paradine, the patriarch, is found murdered. Yet, he seemed to invite his demise when he accused a family member of disloyalty. Now, Miss Silver must unravel the mystery of troubled love and sudden death.

The clock strikes twelve
All the people cry 'O Hell!'
A bomb's been flung
On the family interests which has wrung
Out the secrets, mysteries, unsolved fantasies
Claimed shame, and fame, but who's to be blamed?
Defiance, Distrust, Diabolical schemes
Are being coaxed in their heads...
And all this time,with that sardonic pride
Awaits the one in the Study room...
He can wait all he wants... but who's to come?
Don't bet all your cards
Till the clock strikes twelve
And more than one man cries 'O Hell!'

The Paradine family has gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve. Alas, when the clock strikes twelve old Mr. James Paradine, the patriarch, is found murdered. Yet, he seemed to invite his demise when he accused a family member of disloyalty. Now, Miss Silver must unravel the mystery of troubled love and sudden death.

Review:

So the queer idea is that I'd devoured this lush descriptive read about 2 years ago. Having read and re-read it at various intervals I found it interesting every time. 

There's the dominating, sardonic Mr James Paradine, a tall tower of resolution and that unbeatable personality you find in the 'rich' blooded men... All the characters are introduced in a flow with the central mystery *bang bang*'in in with a finality. There's nothing more to say except that the Clock Strikes Twelve is no wonder a fantastic read when you really want to sink in with a cup of coffee and of course, the read itself.

The story and its highly developed individuals, the clues... all add up to the Miss Silver 'thing' =)

I especially like the so realistic way the writer portrayed the ever-closing knit of distrust, shock, suspicions they experienced as the book proceeded. And other more unexpected surprises... 

Though frankly the appearance of this 'dowdy serenely knitting governess' only made its way in thru about half the book; I'd really have preferred lesser of the sometimes boring details, and more of that zing... 

Anyhow, I've no remorse and by the end of the way, in fact, I'm glad I read this art.

Heroes of Olympus|| Best of Character Art

Heroes of Olympus. Loved by readers because of Mr. Riordan's humorous yet gripping writing style and of course the great character art. Have a look at some of the best yet.

No.1 Hera 

No.2 Arachne

No.3 Ella the Harpy

No.4 Festus the Dragon

No.5 Aphrodite

Kane Chronicles|| Best of Character Art

Rick Riordan's character art is gaining popularity at a fast rate. See the best of Kane Chronicles Character Art.

1. Anubis

2. Isis

3. Zia Rashid

4. Ra

5. Horus

Blackveil by Kristen Britain ||poem by Obsidian Fury

Blackveil, despite entering some reader's hate list, managed to get a rather impressive 4.11 rating on  Goodreads Perhaps this is the moment to share an artistic if not enthusiastic poem about Blackveil written by Obsidian Fury.

Etherea in the breeze,
of a tainted realm,
the silvery moon,
its sheen the power of the realm,
the dreary depths of Blackveil,
a journey time will only tell,
Sir Karigan G'ladheon... 'Ur simply awesome'I wanna yell!

Traversing across a landscape, 
once the heart of all the Eletian Race,
its foundations of moonbeams,
that had shone and bathed the pool in the south leaf, but then,
his greed, his unearthly madness, driven by lust and promise of power,
his name itself a black heart of stone,
the restrains of the man he once was, are no more,
corporeal sentience whisked into the waning future,
a wrath of darkness, a wreath of tainted magic, behold the future, beheld by Sacoridia,
12 lights in the shadows, 12 driven to the tainted land,
Half the dozen of them Eletions, their hearts brimming with sorrow, with fearful hope,
of what is left of the heart of their once land,
of what, of who await them in Blackveil, though for them it still glows with the light of Avarith.
The rest, half of them again venturing by order, for glory perhaps but not of their own will power,
and then the three who remain,
Are the Legendary Green Riders,
the blood of their heroic predecessors flowing in their veins,
bolstering their spirit, giving power to their dreams,
gifted by pure magic, bearers of the winged brooches,
cloaked in the Green of their legacy,
with hearts of gold, truly brighter than the bright moonlight that once shone in murky depths of the feared realm,
One of them, hankers to volunteer his own life,
One of them, the bearer of endowment to talk with the wild life,
The last among, her honor lies in her heart,
Well aware of the lurking in the dark landscape,
she prepares to venture on the unforgettable journey,
for tis her birthright.
For she is Sir Karigan G'ladheon,
Green Rider.
Green Rider.

Cover Art|| Belgariad by David Eddings

2013 starts with the 5 book fantasy epic by David Eddings, Belgariad. The reviews will be up soon but incredible enjoy these book covers till then.

The Black Company by Glen Cook || Book Review

Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead. Until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her... So begins one of the greatest fantasy epics of our age—Glen Cook's Chronicles of the Black Company.

I had heard alot about the Black Company, it kind of has the status of a classic in fantasy literature andd with good reason.
As I started out reading the book, the first thing I noted was the names of the characters which were very reminiscent of Joe Abercrombie's books, the use of personality adjectives and nouns like Silent, Goblin,Darling etc as names.
Starting out the book underwhelmed me with talk of vampires and were-panthers, but as I went deeper the real and more deeper issues of soldierly camaraderie and brotherhood started coming to the forefront. The prose is excellent, and is worth of the tag literature, the writing may have been better than a number of books being published nowadays, Cook's vocabulary is vast and he uses it to his advantage. There were quite a number of catchy lines.
The characterization is impeccable, each of the characters feels like a real person of flesh and blood, with his own fears and hopes.
The relationship between the two wizards One-eye and Goblin is one of the more interesting ones, with their constant bickering and show of animosity which isn't quite as deep rooted as the two would like to show.
The philosophy of evil as being a relative term and depending on where one stands is analysed.
There is much of military tactics and stratagems alongside a few assassinations. The magic is also a constant factor though it isn't the most interesting part of the book, because it takes its presence as granted and there is no explanation or root of its origin and nature.
The book was published a very long-time ago and so must be excused a few weaknesses.
Overall the book was a very worthwhile expenditure of time, totally engrossing and enjoyable.