Books weaving magical longing .... for more

[artshiraz]

After reading the "pissed off" thread , I was wondering if the opposite had happened to some of you.

Is there a book, or a series, which makes you gnaw your fingers after finishing, ...because you want a follow up..... or that certain book which hasn't been released yet.

For me the magic started with MZB's Darkover novels. I read about comyn's and wanted more ... and more....

How where the first towers built/assembled? When did the comyn decide to make the council. True, a lot of questions were answered by closely following the books. Still, I always wanted to know more :bump:

Lately the books which stop with a craving longing for more are Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire . I can't help... as soon as I have finished one of the books ... I would like to shop... be it online, or in the bookstore next town ... and get the next book from the series.

About the only thing which makes me often sad ..are those comments about short stories having been published in this anthology... or that fanzine.... and I know I can't get my hands on one of those because they won't be published here.

Then there are those books where you suspect or know ..that there won't be a continuation. The Kidd Series from John Camp/Sandford fall into that range. I know of about two more books he could write [meaning here that I know of a lot of computer technology not yet covered in books but interesting enough to be exploited].... but after reading his last one with the death of one main though secret character... it doesn't seem as if there would be another Kidd novel.

A well... I rant now. Now what about you? Is there a book or a series which makes you long for more?

[Nathan Caroland]

There are several authors or series that I liked enough that I went out and bought the rest of the books immediately.

David Eddings; any of his Belgariad, Mallorean .. etc.

Simon R. Green; all of his Nightside novels, though I have to say, his last one disapointed.

Laurell K. Hammilton; all of the Anita Blakes, up until the last one, which just pissed me off.

Jim Butcher; Dresden Files - I just plain like 'em.

I also have to admit that I have a weekness for Warhammer 40k novels. Some are wrote very well, others not so well, but the whole scenario just plain does it for me and I find myself picking up the novels all the time. Matter of fact, I just bought six of them yesterday at the book store (anyone here get discounts on novels - I could certainly use it!).

Robert Jordan USED to be a favorite of mine. I picked up his Wheel of Time series when there were five books out initially. I devoured them, went out and bought them all. By the time I got to book six, things were really 'political', book seven, everyone was scattered and more to the point, there were too many 'main' characters that it was hard to keep track of. When I read that he was going to take it up to 13 novels I flat out refused to buy anymore until the bugger finished them all or was dead.

[Gin1906]

FF,

Thats pretty funny about the Wheel of Time books, I almost posted that exact same thing on the pissed off thead the other day, I really enjoyed the first several books, by the time I got to book seven, I never even finished it, and I have Never picked up another one, and don't care to.

Another series that had lot of promise was the Soothsayer, Oricle and Prophet books (can't remember the author and to effin lazy to look it up)

had a really good premise, and the first book had lots of promise, the other two Stunk! And the ending was total rubbish.

It has been a while since I have found a series that I have truely devoured, any suggestions would be great, I like fantasy and Sci-fi.

Gin

[Nathan Caroland]

Heh, I hear that from a lot of people about Jordan, I think personally the man has simply 'lost it' when it comes to the book. I think I would have been pleased with five books total and think he could have told the story in that time easily enough except he made things too complex. Ah well.

As for books - I really suggest Jim Butcher and his Dresden Files. Get them, you won't be disapointed.

[artshiraz]

Funny thing about WoT

I started reading the german release of "Rad der Zeit", but I went as far as to

"The path of Daggers #3 "... which got published as the 23rd german book. Neat huh? 23 times WoT. After that I wasn't keen enough for more Jordan.

WoT had a terrible (means good) start.... but somehow more and more sidethreads were opened and never closed.

Today I don't even know if there have been more books about the WoT after the last I have read.... and frankly I don't care anymore.

Did someone read the Assassin series from Robin Hobb ?

[Duende]

Did someone read the Assassin series from Robin Hobb ?

Yes! I have. The first three novels and the second trilogy that follows it (The Tawny Man trilogy) which wraps up all the loose ends. Also I've read her Liveship Traders books as well, they were excellent, too. Have you read those? Did you know Robin Hobb is also short-story writer Megan Lindholm, but I don't think either of those names is her real one.

Have you ever read C.S. Friedman? Her Coldfire Trilogy was outstanding and the first novel of that, Black Sun Rising is one of my all-time favorite books and have it in paperback, hardback, and even have a "advance reading copy" which is a larger paperback version, which says on the back cover,"Unrevised and unpublished proof. This copy is not for distribution to the public." Haha, seems you can get anything off of eBay!

Her other stand-alone novels are In Conquest Born, The Madness Season, and This Alien Shore. And her latest release is The Wilding which is a sequel to her first novel (ICB) which takes place 200 years later. I've only just got it and have yet to read it.

One thing I like best about her novels is that often there's elements of both science fiction and fantasy in them. For example, BSR takes place on a world that was settled by human colonists who arrived by spaceship, but when they settled there, they discovered a mysterious force called the fae which could make real the worst things in your imagination. Also in the book The Madness Season, modern-day Earth is being invaded by aliens and the main hero of the book is revealed to be a vampire, who is also a college professor. Great stuff! I really recommend her!

Also, anybody ever read Tad Williams?

:umbrella: Great reads for rainy days...

[RedDawn]

@FF - that's so funny you said that about the Anita Blake series. I read it, got Grumb hooked on it and he read that last one before I did. He was totally pissed off too! I didn't mind it so much and I'm looking forward to the next one. I also really like her Meredith Gentry, Fairy Princess series.

@Duende - I'm sitting here looking at Black Sun Rising sitting on my desk. I started to read it, thought there was a book before it, so I read In Conquest Born - only to find out it's a completely different series! I'm planning on reading her other stuff as well. In Conquest Born didn't do a whole lot for me, but now that I've read your post I'll give the others a try. I hope I haven't blown a secret by reading that the character in The Madness Season is a vampire!

I've also read the Assassin series by Robin Hobb. I liked it, but I've enjoyed others more. I think part of the problem is the time between books.

I read a book by Melanie Rawn - the Exiles series - The Ruins of Ambrai and The Mageborn Traitor. Both were great books and I've been waiting YEARS for the third one to come out, but haven't heard anything about it. Also waiting for Rebecca Neason's third book after The Thirteenth Scoll (and something else).

Also, just about any book by David Weber - especially any Honor Harrington! I especially liked his March...series (March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars and the fourth one which doesn't have "March..." in the title).

There are just soooo many books out there by great authors! Two of my favorite authors are Jennifer Crusie and Mary Janice Davidson - both "romance" authors. I NEVER read romance stuff - hated Harlequin as a teen, but I LOVE these two authors. They are funny as hell - especially MJ Davidison. Her books are less "romancy" than J Crusie, and they're about a vampire with a shoe fetish - right up my alley! I read those when I need a break from a long, "heavy" sci-fi book. I wait with bated breath for anything from them.

[Nathan Caroland]

@Dawn

Yeah, I am still mind scrubbing right now after that book. Same with her fairy books I have to say, I read the first one, but basically, I think Laurell Hammilton has simply tuned into her 'I'm seriously horny' mode because all of her stuff lately seems to make a woman completely air tight with the amount of men that she's tossing into a love scene.

Ack .. I'm thinking about it again. And yes, that was crude above what I said, but ... ack!

@Duende

Assassin ... isn't that where at the end of the series the guy had been so screwed up because he poisoned himself or some such and was basically useless as an assassin from there on out?

[artshiraz]

Assassin ... isn't that where at the end of the series the guy had been so screwed up because he poisoned himself or some such and was basically useless as an assassin from there on out?

Correct.. that's the one.

I wasn't so sure about the trilogy I read (the first one). It was ..different but the end spoiled a bit the whole series for me.

It is a bit like the Midkemia books from RJF. When Feist wrote Magician it was more than interesting. When he developed his Bitter Sea novels I followed by reading. But when Arutha, Jimmy and about everyone interesting died (old age, assassination, etc..) somehow the series lost its touch.

Also, anybody ever read Tad Williams?

Great reads for rainy days...

Wellll.... I know Otherland. Though I didn't read it, but do listen the audiobook. In another thread in another forum Otherland was told to be THE ultimate audiobook to listen to while painting.

I agree :vb_tongue it is a much more nice painting when there is some story running in the background .. and you're not tempted to look up because there's no movie running.

[Duende]

@Duende - I read In Conquest Born - only to find out it's a completely different series! I'm planning on reading her other stuff as well. In Conquest Born didn't do a whole lot for me, but now that I've read your post I'll give the others a try. I hope I haven't blown a secret by reading that the character in The Madness Season is a vampire!

I read a book by Melanie Rawn - the Exiles series - The Ruins of Ambrai and The Mageborn Traitor. Both were great books and I've been waiting YEARS for the third one to come out, but haven't heard anything about it.

@ Dawn - Well, In Conquest Born now has a newly released sequel The Wilding that I mentioned in my previous post. I think I may have to re-read ICB just to refressh my memory on what happened there.

The Madness Season shouldn't be ruined by giving away that "secret". It's revealed maybe about a fourth of the way into the book, so I didn't count it THAT big a secret. I did like TMS better than ICB.

If you like Melanie Rawn, also try her Dragon Prince and Dragon Star Trilogies. They're long novels and the main character in the first novels are grandparents by the last. Also, the third book in her Exiles Trilogy is titled The Captal's Tower, and I think she has yet to start writing it.

Also forgot to mention Kate Elliot's Crown of Stars series. The fifth (or is it sixth?) novel of it is out in hardcover now and it looks like it will be a six (or seven) book series (it was supposed to be trilogy, but she keeps finding more to add ).

@ artshiraz - The Otherland books are his venture into sci-fi. For a good fantasy story, try his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. It's technically a trilogy although the last book had to be broken up into parts I and II since it was so long, making it one book took too many pages! Also there was Tailchaser's Song a great story for cat lovers!

and @ anybody else reading this- here's a good link to find out more about some of these authors: DAW Books Authors' Sites

Enjoy! :vb_tongue

[Mclimbin]

I read the Assassin books and they are one of my favorite series, though if you are looking for a happy, or even satisfying ending, you should avoid them. They are pretty dark and often frustrating as you follow all the mistakes that the protagonist makes. The Liveship Traders trilogy is set in the same world but is seemingly unrelated until you get to the 3rd trilogy (dude, a tri-trilogy!), the Tawny Man. The ending of the Tawny Man was really great, though, IMHO, it was the most satisfying ending of any large series that I've read.

I don't even want to talk about the Wheel of Time! :mad:

I'll definitely be looking around Amazon for the other books mentioned here, though.

How about John Varley? Steel Beach is one of the best SF books I've read, with an amazing cool world. The book opens with the protagonist trying to kill himself, but the computer that runs society keeps him from succeeding. Halfway through the novel he undergoes a procedure to change his gender, and not like people are able to do today, stitching various parts up and what have you--his/her gender is completely changed on the cellular level so s/he can now have children. Not sure why but that just struck me as really weird and cool. Varley has written other novels in the same world but I'm not sure which ones those are.

His Gaia series is OK, not really worth writing home about.

[Nathan Caroland]

I might have to look up this Steel Beech one just to figure out what the heck I just missed there.

Ones that I've really been enjoying of late is Kim Harrison, the latest book called 'A Fistful of Charms'. Most of the way through it and enjoying it.

Nightside Novels were great too, though the last one was a let down.

Just picked up the Vampire Earth series last month, read the first one and went and picked up the other four as they interested me that much.

Also another author that I'll be damned if I can remember, but it was about Weather Wardens and Djinn in todays modern world. Wind Witch, Ill Wind, Heat Stroke ... and one more I can't remember at the moment. Read all of those one after the other and loved them. Anxiously awaiting the fifth book which I expect will be the final of that series.

I'm rapidly going through books these days and I am finding new authors, particularly anything that is modern day but with a paranormal twist to it, finding I like those the best. Any suggestions? Odds are I've already snagged up a couple, but any and all suggestions would be welcome there.

[Skya]

Tad Williams is one of those authors whose works I pick up as soon as I get my grubby little hands on them. He creates realistic and intreaging characters set in vast sweeping worlds that always make you feel like there is something over the next hill, in the next vally. They feel real. War of Flowers was an awesome stand alone, Otherland is a four book series although given the legth of the books reads more like a 6 book series. Really neat stuff though. Memory Sorrow and Thorn is a sweeping epic fantasy that takes a young boy from a comfortable childhood growing into a being a hero without him really noticing. It's also a gorgeous fantasy world with elves that make you really feel wonder and wars that feel like they have meaning.

If I really want to feel inspired though I read Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksinarion. It follows the life of a sheepfarmers daughter from mercenary to paladinhood. I recommend it as reading for anyone who wants to play a paladin as the best portral of one in fiction I have ever read.

I also really loved I will Fear No Evil by Robert Heinlein. I consider it one of his best books, right up there with Stranger in a Strange Land. Mind you you have to be willing to relate to his old fashionedness clashing with liberal sexuality, so it's not for everyone, but it's one of teh few books I have ever read multiple times.

If I'm going for something where I know I'll enjoy the writing even when the plot isnt inspiring I tend to go for Mercedes Lackey or Tanya Huff. They are light, tend towards a good sense of humor and Tanya Huffs vampires are always engaging. Mercedes Lackey's new 500 Kingdoms books have been highly enjoyable light reading twists on fairy tale themes that always leave me wanting more. Neither qualifies as inspiring works but they always leave me wanting more.

[Mclimbin]

*takes notes feverishly*

The Williams books sound interesting...

[mlavanish]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I guess it's up to 10 or 11 books now, which is almost Jordanian in length, but for me a hell of a lot more interesting. I think I bought the first 3 WoT books, and only made it throught the first 2 before getting bored. Anyone looking for a good alternative should take a look at Goodkind.

I'll admit I also have a soft spot for GW 40K novels, particularly books by Dan Abnett. I love his Gaunt's Ghosts series, and the various Inquisitor books he's written (Eisenhorn and Ravenor). I haven't read any of his fantasy novels yet though. I guess I just really like the 40K universe. Now I'm looking forward to the 40K RPG coming out.

[Nathan Caroland]

I've chewed through most of the 40k novels I have to admit and look for more pretty often. My favorite ones though deal with Commissar Cain. Those are just hillarious!

As for Goodkind - if I get back into fantasy any time soon I might just have to take a look at those. I think Goodkind did Assassin's Apprentice as well right? Read those, didn't like the ending though.

[Skya]

I thought assassin's aprentice was Robin Hobb? Maybe I'm thinking a different series.

Godkind is awesome in an emotionally intense sort of way. Makes you want to scream at what's happening to his characters, and then hold them and make it all better. There are a couple books where he hammers his political views a home a bit hard though.

[Nathan Caroland]

Ah, yes, Hobb. Still didn't like the ending of that damn series.

[matty1001]

Iv just read the Emporer series by Conn Iggulden. Its a 4 part fiction series based on Julius Ceasar, It really goes in-depth on the history of the romans at this time and tells a fantastic story. The first book is called The gate of Rome if anyone's interested.

[Nathan Caroland]

Been doing some reading as well, generally at lunches and breaks but I still manage to chew through them.

Laura Gilman - Staying Dead (Retrievers Novel). Not bad, first time I've read this author and she has an interesting take on magic though some of it I think could really use some explaining, or at the very least, a dictionary at the back giving you some clues as to what the heck she's going on about at times. Good book overall about magic in the modern day and I'm looking forward to picking up the next in the series.

Anne Rule - Stranger Beside Me. Someone gave this one to me which is about a woman that knew Ted Bundy. Frankly, I can't understand how the hell this woman got on the NY Bestsellers list. Horrible writing and she jumps all over the place while telling her story. Not one I would recommend (and well outside my normal type of book I read).

L.A. Banks - Minion (Vampire Huntress Legend). New book to me as well, and I HATE it that it comes in this 'big' format that is twice the size of a normal paperback and with big writing (yeaaah, bought it off Amazon, bleah). Not bad, rather interesting actually, except she's got a lot of ethnic folks in the book, which isn't a bad thing, but she tries to 'jive talk' for lack of a better word. Really annoying and makes everyone look ignorant. Debating on whether to get the next in the series (are five or six books by now I think) but the jive talk just put me off - that and she's 'horny' which just brings to mind Anita Blake which really just puts me off.

Lilith Saintcrow - Darkwatcher. Yet again an oversized and large type book, but, I'll forgive it. Fairly well written with, yes, you guessed it, modern day magic. I liked it. Had a few rough spots in it, but basically about a coven of witches that have been targeted for assassination by some splinter Vatican fanatical group and the ladies are being protected by some 'Watchers' which are basically the fighting arm of some Witch group. Not bad, I'll be picking up the rest of the series.

Yondola Somethingoranother - Witchling. I'm in the midst of reading this one right now, about a quarter way through as I started it tonight on lunch. Looks interesting, modern day, fairies are real, otherworld opperatives, blah, blah. Like it so far but for one thing that is really bothering me already is everyone is horney, already someone has been fucked (yes, I say fucked, cause they've used the words more than a few times now which, frankly is putting me off - I'm not a prude, but come on ...) and .. well that's where I left off. Interesting stuff, until the whole 'fucking OMG it has to be like Anita Blake' crap came along.

Cantcha just tell I hate Laurell K. Hammilton?

[Nathan Caroland]

In a bad need for some more books, preferably Paranormal Urban Fantasy but I'm running out of books in a hurry.

Decided to read through all the Harry Potter books three weeks ago, just finished up the fifth and I'm going into the sixth and will pick up the second here next.

Jim Butcher has a new one for Dresden called White Knight that I'm bidding on ebay for (hate hardbacks, but sometimes you really want them). Same thing with Harris who has A Few Demons More coming out, again, one that I've got going on a bid.

Picked up two others the other day, Changeling which comes right after Witchling by Yondola Somethingoranother (very good) and the second in the ... erm crap .. can't remember, something about some chick that controls ghosts, is the big seer mistress of the world now, vampires and weres want her, blah, blah. Not bad, probably not great, but I'm desperate.

So, I need some new series, new blood, books soon to come out .. help me out here. I get nasty when I run out of things to read.

[goblyn13]

I always stuck with the following:

Terry Brooks, the Word and the Void Series (Running With the Demon, A Knight of the Word, and Angel Fire East) are a decent series that's more set in an urban time with demons and stuff. His Shannara Series (once you get past Sword of Shannara) is pretty good with his spin although its more fantasy but in a after the bomb kinda way. With the him currently writing the bridge series, between Word and the Void and the Shannara series. Armageddon's Children is out a year or so ago, and the sequal Elves of Cintra, comes out in August.

J. Gregory Keyes did some pretty decent alternate history books with Benjamin Franklin being one of the main characters called the Age of Unreason, First in the series is called Newton's Cannon. Followed by A Calculus of Angels, Empire of Unreason, and the final book, The Shadow of Gods.

[Skya]

I know you're into the modern fantasy stuff you ever read Marrion Zimmer Bradley's Witch Hill, Inheritor, Ghostlight and on series? It's definately from a different era of wrtiting but they're still pretty decent.

Jan Seigal's Prospero's Children trilogy is quite good reading in more of an adult oriented The Dark is Rising sort of way. If you havent read teh the Tremiare books by Naomi Novak they are wonderful reading. Dragons in a Napolionic era europe being used as air support. I also highly recommend Jack Whyte's The Camulod Chronicles. It's the Arthurian stories and the founding of Camalot as it could actually have been done as historical fiction. I will warn that you dont get to Arthur until book five or so.

Hopefully that helped.

[Wren]

I didn't read all the way back through the thread, so my apologies if I mention some already suggested...

Mercedes Lackey did a three or four book series with a witch guardian protagonist named Diana Tregarde that I really liked. She did another one-off with a Native American shaman.

I've only read a few of Charles de Lint's, but I liked what I read.

Not truly magic, but one of the best books I ever read came out of a group of authors doing retellings of fairy tales. Jane Yolen's Briar Rose recasts the story of Sleeping Beauty as part modern love story, and part Holocaust survivor's tale, which probably sounds improbable and not enjoyable as the plotline for a book, but ends up being one of those stories you find hard to put down even to sleep and eat. My roommate had another two or three of the retellings, but the rest seemed to be done more as traditional fantasy and didn't seem nearly as inspired as a result.

[Nathan Caroland]

I'm doing a bit of thread-o-mancy but I would rather not go start up a bunch of different threads on the same stuff, etc.

Picked up a bunch of books lately, some of them damn good, other disappointing as heck.

The Anna Strong Chronicles, haven't gotten into them yet but from everything I've heard, damn good books. Besides, I'm always a sucker for a good hero.

Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco is an interesting one - about a quarter way through it right now and I think it's going to be a fun one. Different, but good.

The Sisters of the Moon trilogy, last one I think which is Darkling. Good series. Has its quibbles as I think the author tries to pull a bit too much of Laurel K. Hammilton with one of the sisters being an orgy attraction, but other than that, easily gotten past as it doesn't make up the whole damn series.

Unnatural Inquire, the eighth book in the Nightside series just came out. Got it in hardback and I rarely do that. Really looking forward to working my way through this one. Simon Green also came out with another series called 'The Man with the Golden Torc'. Haven't read it yet, but it looks promising and I'm a fan of the author.

Another new series that I'm looking at right now is the Morgan Kingsley series, the first book being called 'The Devil Inside'. I think she's supposed to be an exorcist of some sorts, only she ends up coming up against something stronger than herself and next thing you know, she's got a Demon inside of her. Haven't read it yet but again, looking forward to it - mainly as its getting hard to find good books these days.

Kim Harrison has another one coming out called 'The Outlaw Demon Wails'. Hardback naturally and much as I hate to do it, I'm going to buy that one as the Rachel Morgan series is just too damn good, particularly now that in the last book she's had a serious blow as one of her close friends and fairly regular character ends up cacking it permanantly. I somewhat think Jenks is going to die off in this book as well, or quite possibly the next one, but I don't think he's long for the world, nor his pixie wife.

Jim Butcher is at it again with another Dresden Files book called Small Favors. Due out in April I think and naturally I'm on the pre order list for that one. Again, hate that its going to be a hardback but that's not one that I'm willing to let go until its in paperback.

One that I personally can't stand is L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress series. Not my thing, too much wishy washy, ghetto speak, bend over and take some lovin' type of series. Bleah ... but it might appeal to some of ya'll.

Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy ... anyone read that one? I've been debating it but it just hasn't grabbed me quite yet, thus its not been purchased.

Rachel Caine had a really cool series called the Weather Warden. Loved it, all the way up until the 5th book where the author seemed to have a brain fart and decided to give the main character amnesia and loss of who she is, blah, blah, blah, lets start with a blank slate and make things confusing. I LOATHE authors that do that and concequently I haven't bothered to pick up the book to read further into it than the 50 or so pages I got through. It might actually be good for all I know, but like Laurel K. Hammilton, I won't find out cause she's just messed it up for me.

Kat Richardson has a series out called Greywalker. I've been debating getting them but when they charge $14 for a damn paperback, I generally shy off cause that's just too spendy IMO. I'll look for it used but I'm curious if its worth the trouble.

Now here is the biggie for me that I read recently as it was Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series. I LOVE this series and immediately snatched it off the shelf for purchase when I came across it the other day and knocked it out in about six hours. Being such a fan of the series, I have to admit this book seriously pissed me off. Don't read any further if you're interested.

Basically, she had the main character raped and forced under magical compulsion and the like to basically give a blow job to the main villain while driving the car to where he's taking her to retrieive some magical stick then breaks her arm and wrists and proceeds to grunt and groan his way into raping her on her garage floor. Naturally she kills him and all goes well.

Now why is the fuck would you need to do that as a writer, to bring something like that into a series where there has been sexual tension with a couple of suiters, but never has there been any 'sex' and then out of the blue she has the main character raped for what seems to me, to just really emphasis a point on how 'bad' the bad guy was. I'm guessing she thought she needed to get grittier or make it a character builder for the next book ... I'm not sure I'm interested in reading it now. I think she could have taken it to the point where there was the threat of rape, or even the attempt of it, but as with all good hero books, stopped before the actual act.

Dunno, maybe I'm a pansy when it comes to this sort of stuff but I don't find it entertaining in the least bit. I'm also curious why it seems that more and more writers, particularly female writers, seem to be going the route of introducing quite a bit of sex and rape into their books these days. It seems like all of the sudden someone goes 'oooh, you know, we're allowed to say 'fuck' on tv and now every other word is fuck! C'mon, show a bit more class than that. It's almost like they saw Laurell K. Hammilton who was (and probably is still, though I know she's lost a lot of fans) popular and suddenly its a very cool thing to do, and you can make some money while you're at it.

Bah .... other than that, a great book. Unfortunately the last 40 pages of the book taints the whole.