I am getting to the point where I cant remember what books i have digitally and have to take the time to look them up. Somehow I always knew what I had in hardback/paperback.
Apparently I already bought the LOTR books for 1.99 back in 2020. Nice. Yay me!
So the Amber series is worth reading then?
Found this post about it:
The first Amber series (books 1 to 5) is dated in some ways but also pretty classic and influential IMO. The books are short, around 200 pages each, but pack a punch with taut pacing and plenty of plot. Characterization is a bit thin, and the world building is several levels below Tolkien’s detail, but it also makes a very strong impression.
In general, if you are “of a certain age” (say over 40-ish) and haven’t read these and like most of the stuff QT3 folks like, then you will probably like this.
Also, it’s an antidote to so much of the extended and generic fantasy that came afterwards in the 80s and 90s.
Lastly, there is a second series, books 6 to 10 that I don’t consider nearly as good.
Thanks, I had the physical copy of this but left it behind when I moved. This is a great deal!
The original 5 books are one of the great fantasy series of all time. Highly recommended. The others are good, not great.
Tim Powers Anubis Gates is on sale for $1.99. It’s a great read.
It’s the same price at Kobo, Apple, etc.
Given that I had $3 in credits for letting Amazon deliver something slowly, this was free for me! Thanks for the heads-up, Mark. Looks like a fun read.
It’s so, so good. Absolute Powers candy. Time for a reread!
I got the audiobook versions of that and The Omnivore’s Dilemma back when they were both the new hotness, for free, as a come-on to subscribe to Audible. Needless to say I found the latter book much more thought-provoking.
Roger Zelazny, right? I never read those, but did read and love his novel involving the Hindu pantheon (whose title escapes me right now – I somehow have the intuition that it was Avatar but that has become so identified with the Cameron movies that I don’t know whether to trust it).
Bummer-- missed the sale on that one. I checked that out of the library one time and failed to get very far in it, though it was interesting. Is he the same author of the book set in 1970s LA where they’re carrying around the soul of Thomas Edison in a
little bottle young boy or something?
EDIT: To answer my own question, yes:
Expiration Date
I believe you are referring to Lord of Light? Fantastic novel. Deserves a movie.
That would be a trippy movie. Probably on par with a movie version of Stranger in a Strange Land.
That’s the one, thanks.
Note that Expiration Date was a quasi-sequel to Last Call, which I found to be a far more interesting book.
Same. It’s the better book.
Thanks for the tip. Maybe I’ll get around to it someday. My obligations these days are many and time to read/play games/watch cool TV and movies is pretty limited.
And then there’s Earthquake Weather, which serves as a sequel to both books and has characters from both. All of them are totally worth reading! But then really, that’s true of any Tim Powers book.
Yes, one of my favorite authors. His buddy James Blaylock has written some good stuff too.
IMHO, Last Call is really the best of them. The next 2 are fun, but poker and tarot and mobsters and vegas? Win.