Monday, September 28, 2009

#18 - The Way of Shadows

Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy is one of those series that caught my eye and I just couldn't resist. In a sea of dark, grim, looking covers, the bright white of this series stands out too much to be ignored. I'm not normally one for assassin tales because I find them a bit boring with all the slinking about and cover of darkness business, but these seemed filled with enough action to keep my interest. And they sort of did. The author lacks creativity and imagination and it shows through terribly all over the place, so much that it made me cringe more times than I could count. Everything is cribbed from the heavy handed use of Japanese words to the alphabet being "Hyrillic" which is a barely altered name of the real "Cyrillic" alphabet. C'mon. Maybe the average target audience wouldn't pick up on any/many of these but there are a lot who will and it is just lame. There's some confusing lore and a bit too much of the author's attempts at dramatic plot twists (hint: none are). The book was actually hard to get through because while it does have a lot of action, there isn't enough substance. It's light fantasy work that drags on a bit too long for what it is. Recommended but not highly and only if you accept what you're getting into before cracking the cover.

#17 - World of Warcraft Master Guide, Second Edition

World of Warcraft is the juggernaut of the MMO world. Millions of players in a virtual world that has defied all odds and continues to eclipse any who dare to enter the market. I had actually played WoW when it first came out for about a year and got annoyed by some aspects and left for other games. After working through a number of other games and MMOs I decided to come back and see how things have progressed in my absence. Completely would be the answer. It is much easier now which can go both ways, but it also so much bigger and more complex in a few areas. I decided to turn to the strategy guide for those times when online help doesn't cut it. A great strategy guide that will help piece together some of the confusing or new bits. Highly Recommended.