Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Natalie Merchant - Sally Ann


A woman of beauty
A woman of pain
In France or Jakarta
Her shadow's the same

You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

A woman of kindness
With bracelets of jade
In China, in Japan
Choices are made

You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

A woman of chances
With no family or friends
In Argentina
She knows only men

You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home
A woman of color
With debts to be paid
In Trenton or Detroit
She lives by the blade

You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Steven Erikson - Reaper's Gale



Erikson is getting better at his craft. There isn't as many slow moments in this volume, the characters have a more specific personnality (which is partially tied to us dealing with recurring characters this time around) many stories reach an end (not all thankfully). And the author is trying to give a picture of men and their society which chime's true (despite being quite obvious and not very indepth, it's a good change). Some stories are boring others are epic, the book jumps from one leg to another but is clearly one of the good book of the serie nonetheless.
(mild spoiler) It was not easy after the former book to jump to another continent with different stakes, Erikson managed it. Some of his characters were nicely constructed and quite fun (if still a bit shallow, characters do not evolve in Erikson's stories) mostly thinking about Tehol Bedict.
Erikson stays on the top list of current fantasy authors but he still lack the capacity to make his characters humans (unlike R. Scott Bakker) but it's something that can happen when gods walk among men.

Jack Vance - Les Chroniques de Cadwal: Bonne vieille terre ( Tome 2)


Une certaine déception par rapport à ce second tôme. Tout d'abord l'auteur à choisit pour son passage sur terre de changer de "héro" et l'on doit dire que le tout devient alors soporifique. Mais même lorsqu'on revient au héro principal l'intrigue reste simpliste, cousue de fil blanc et somme tout décevante. J'ai toujours vanté l'imagination et l'esprit d'aventure des livres de Jack Vance, ce second volume échappe à cette règle, plus de nouvelles planètes, plus de nouvelles coutumes, juste une revisite des premières. Ma première grosse déception dans l'univers de Vance malgré mon enthousiasme pour le premier tôme.

Pierre Magnan - Le Tombeau d'Hélios


Une histoire faites d'ingrédients simples et qui sent bon l'esprit un peu fermé de la provence. Les secrets et les envies matinées de plaisirs cachés. Sans grande surprise, le roman a un ton qui donne envie de profiter des étapes de l'enquête. Mais celle-ci n'est pas vraiment passionante elle se déroule de manière inéluctible. Pas mon Magnan préféré mais un livre agréable à lire qui fait voyager.