*bump*
I just read
Ursula Le Guin's
Tombs of Atuan and I'm almost speechless... I've read that book several times but it amazed me. What a masterpiece. Everything has a meaning in it and the storytelling is just so beautiful. Not to mention the thrilling and original setting that gives the book a distinct and strong atmosphere. Also, Le Guin's gentleness and wisdom never cease to amaze me. There are so many layers in the small book, so many themes, so much wise words. It felt like I had read the book for the first time in my life now: I had never read it this deeply before and not fully comprehended all the threads in the pattern, all the tones and all the deep currents. Just unbelievable. I thought I haven't grown up particularily much in the past couple of years, but I obviously have - when I last read the book in 2006 or 2005 I only glimpsed the surface, it seems, like always before. And still, all those times I enjoyed it tremenduously. If there's a fantasy author who can come close to rivalling Tolkien it is Le Guin.
(Haha, seems I was not as speechless as I thought I was...
)
Now to move from the mindblowing stuff to something else, I will then ramble about some other books I've read lately. I've read the two first novels of
Guy Gavriel Kay's
Fionavar trilogy and must say it's very underrated. The story is gorgeous! It might have all the possible clichés in it, it might be ridiculously epic at times, the basic idea (five canadian students go to an alternative world and get to save the world) might be incredibly silly but it does work. Granted, it's not as good as Kay's
Tigana or
The Lions of Al-Rassan or
A Song for Arbonne, but it's less below their level than people have lead me to understand.
I've also had great time reading
Michelle Paver's
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, a series set on the Stone Ages for young readers. Clichés, stereotypes, mostly very guessable plot, sometimes just plain bad writing, lots of naivety etc - but who cares if the setting is interesting and it's well-written and entertaining? People (especially
Greenie ) laugh at me because I read them, but I must say that if you want to read something light and silly and enjoyable and try an adventure with a different setting, they're worth reading. That is, if you don't mind all the downsides...