Lending Shelf: The Mists of Amazon

November 2, 2008 at 12:28 pm · Filed under Pop Culture, Roba

One of the best things in the world is to have friends whose taste in books is similar to yours; and my taste in books isn’t exactly that easy. If you enjoy tales such as The Lord of the Rings and Anne Rice, this new section on And Far Away should help you find a good book to read.

One condition: if you have a similar taste, you should also recommend books for me to read, because I’m out of books again!

Rating

“The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Bradley was very enjoyable for several reasons:

1. It is very satisfyingly long, with around a 1000 pages, printed in the tiniest font legible. It took me a while to read, and since I usually gobble books in hours, I was very happy about that.

2. The plot takes place over a very long time period, so you know everything that happens to everyone. Again, satisfying details.

3. Based on history, but creative enough to offer a really fascinationg reinterpretation of a myth we’re all familiar with. It is basically a feminist interpretation of a male-centered myth, with a woman fighting to save her matriarchal Celtic culture in a country where patriarchal Christianity threatens to destroy the pagan way of life.

Yeah, religion versus magic, patriarchy versus matriarchy, cliche history versus some creativity. Definitely my sort of book. If you like history and good story telling, and if you enjoy actually thinking about religion, then you will enjoy this book. Highly recommended.

Have anyone read “The Mosts of Avalon”?

Other book reviews on AndFarAway:

The Mists of Avalon 
All My Friends are Superheroes 
The Lord of the Rings
His Dark Materials
Persepolis
Harry Potter
Twilight
Blood and Gold
1984
Maus
Fatal Identities
The Time Traveller’s Wife
The Alchemist
Eleven Minutes






  • http://www.omaniidiot.blogspot.com kay

    Have you read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett? Sounds like it might be something you would enjoy based on your post and reasons you liked the Mists of Amazon.

  • http://chocolatemintsinajar.com/blog/ jessyz

    I too would recommend The Pillars of the earth. I would also recommend Neil Gaimen’s Neverwhere, Anansi Boys and Good Omens.

  • http://7akifadi.com 7aki Fadi

    Love this new section cos I love books.

    I am sure you read pillars of the earth cos it’s a pretty old book BUT the author just released the sequel to it called “world without end” As long and as satisfying :D .

  • http://www.simoncolumbus.de Simon Columbus

    Based on what you wrote about “The Mists of Avalon” I think the “Hussite Trilogy” by Andrzej Sapkowski is something you should definitely read. The three book titles are “Narrenturm”, “Warriors of God” and “Lux perpetua”.
    The trilogy is an amazing mix of history and fantasy. And the books are all loooong ;-)

    (And it is much better than “The pillars of the earth”. Ken Follet’s novel is definitely not boring, but I found it rather stretched. It also lacks any philosophy or real criticism).

  • Mesh

    http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/story/index.html

    tage3, specially if you played it since reign of chaos

  • Yaz

    Have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? It’s very captivating

  • http://www.organicvisualarts.com Tarik

    It’s a good book, also check out the mini-series that was done a few years back. It starred Angelica Housten and that Latina from ER. It also starts with the song Mystic’s Night Dream by Loreena McKennitt, which is one my fave songs ever. Give it a shot.

    And yes now it’s time for Neil Gaiman, that man is a genius and is the best writer I’ve encountered in my whole life (well except Agatha Christie!)

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba Assi

  • Pingback: Lending Shelf: His Dark Materials | And Far Away

  • Pingback: Lending Shelf: Cry to Heaven | And Far Away

  • Pingback: What makes a good book? | And Far Away

  • Pingback: Lending Shelf: The Millennium Trilogy | And Far Away

  • Pingback: My Top Ten 2010 Pop Culture Obsessions | And Far Away

  • Pingback: Haruki Murakami’s “1Q84″: A Book Review | And Far Away