I hate to apologize, it is a sign of weakness.  That being said, I am truly sorry to even attempt such a complicated topic when I haven’t read anything new in over a year.  I have always been an avid reader, an addict seems a better description.  It gets ugly when I have nothing to read.  Unfortunately, I lost my job last year and remain unemployed.  This makes it difficult to read new and interesting titles.  To my own disgust, I have re-read books and their series that I finished years ago, just in a rapidly failling attempt to keep a fingernails grip on sanity.  So far, so good, right? Right?

Back to the point.  I am currently reading Jordan’s Wheel of time series.  Not too bad, if you just want to pass some time.  I love fantasy and this set is long and well written.  I love the magic system in it as well. Just a little different.  I realized reading it through this time that added sign language to a group of people after writing over a thousand pages.   Kinda cheating, but what are going to do?  I didn’t even notice the first two times I read this series.  Pretty subtle, huh?

One thing that gets me every time I read these books is its shocking similarity to Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series.  The main characters are nothing alike, and the supporting characters in Goodkind almost don’t exist.  That being said, the coven of female magic users who age…differently, the savages who can beat anybody, not to mention the sword that is not just a sword.  Its like Goodkind and Jordan sat up all night in bar somewhere, swapping ideas.  Of course, what they did with those ideas is wildly different.

I feel like I should wrap this up.  This only my second attempt to put anything up here.  I just can’t stop until I mention two more authors.  Mckillip, writes a darker, more complex type of fantasy than these two adventure junkies.  Her style is soothing poetry compared to most of the fare out there.  But not too soothing.  She will take you on an adventure you will thank her for.  This is one of the only authors I know of where you find yourself enjoying the journey as much as the destination.

Last but certainly not least, Martin.  Goodkind and Jordan write adventure fantasy, Mckillip writes poetry fantasy, but Martin weaves a tapestry with politics, adventure, poetry, and  a cast who will capture from the start.  Even those characters you hate, you will turn pages faster just to find out what happens to them.  This man juggles so many threads of story, you expect just once he would drop one.  I never caught him at it.  He creates a world so large and far-flung, most of his people have no idea who the others are, or just how much their actions affect others.  If you are looking for a book series to engage your mind and totally destroy your ability to connect with reality (at least temporarily) look no further George R.R. Martin.