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Arrow's Flight... by Mercedes Lackey

wuat — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:26:40 +0000

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Arrow's Flight

(The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 2)
by Mercedes Lackey

Published By: DAW Books, Inc.: A Member of Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN-10: 0886773776

Disappointing

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
on 10/01/2008

Talia has earned her Herald whites (see ARROWS OF THE QUEEN) and is ready to embark upon her eighteen-month internship with Kris, her mentor. Together, they are to ride through their assigned sector to settle disputes and perform other duties as Heralds.

The circuit is in trouble from the start, however, as Talia learns of rumors that she has abused her powerful empathic Gift. With her fragile confidence shattered, her Gift gets out of hand. She must regain control, or she’ll be a danger to everyone around her.

Talia must successfully complete her internship. The Queen and many, many others are depending on it. Can Talia finish the year and half without driving herself, and her mentor, insane?

I was disappointed with this novel. The first one was enjoyable, so I was eager to dive in to this, the second installment of The Heralds of Valdemar. Unfortunately, the main conflict in this novel was over the lack of control over Talia’s Gift. She didn’t talk about it with her mentor until it was almost too late. The slow degradation of her abilities over many, many months was painful and repetitive to read. For being a smart character, she didn’t act with much intelligence in that regard. One might argue that this lack of communication was due to her long-standing poor self-esteem, but that excuse only goes so far.

One of my pet peeves is when the author expects the reader to swallow a series of misunderstandings that should never have gone beyond the first few scenes. It feels like a deliberate machination on the author’s part. If the author feels the need to use this to make the story fit their idea of the plot, then there’s a fundamental flaw in the plan. The author should figure out how to work with the conflict without using tenth-grade tricks.

Another thing that annoyed me about this novel is that there were events that seemed important to the story and weren’t included. By this, I’m referring to a visit Talia took to her family of birth and was basically turned away. This event was mentioned in passing, but I never saw it happen. The rejection by Talia’s family is a critical key to the formation of her as a character, and it needed to be in the book. Whether Lackey didn’t feel the need to write this event or whether the editors chopped it to save on page count, I feel it was a mistake.

After all that, it probably sounds like I hated this novel. In fact, I liked it well enough to finish it in less than a day. These two major issues, however, made it difficult for me to enjoy this book to its potential.

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Arrows of the Queen... by Mercedes Lackey

wuat — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:38:38 +0000

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Arrows of the Queen

(The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 1)
by Mercedes Lackey

Published By: DAW Books, Inc.: A Member of Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN-10: 0886773784

Good, but not Spectacular

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
on 10/01/2008

Talia would rather die than be wed at the age of thirteen. When she tells her father’s wives that she wants to be a Herald, to be Chosen by the mystical equine Companions, the women are horrified. To Talia’s complete shock, she is found that very day not only by a Companion, but by the most important Companion in the land.

Chosen to be the Queen’s Own Herald by the Companion Rolan, Talia is overwhelmed by a world completely different from oppressive Holder life. Responsibilities far beyond those she imagined are now hers. As Queen’s Own, she is to be the Queen’s confidant. Her far more difficult task is to help reform “the Brat,” the presumed Heir to Valdemar. Certain parties don’t want the Brat to ascend to the throne and will go to extreme measure to see Talia fail. Clearly, there is more going on than young Talia can fathom.

This is the first novel of Mercedes Lackey’s “The Heralds of Valdemar.” She has built a highly detailed and complex world in which readers can be lost for hours. The characters are deep and scenery richly painted.

In this introductory novel, I was pulled in and sucked through to the end. It seems like some scenes may have been cut out to make a page count. This isn’t as big an issue as it is in the next two novels (ARROW’S FLIGHT and ARROW’S FALL), but it may bother the readers who are more particular about such things.

Overall, I recommend it as a good, but not spectacular, fantasy read.

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Foundation... by Mercedes Lackey

wuat — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:08:01 +0000

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Foundation
(Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles, Book 1)
by Mercedes Lackey

Published By: DAW Books, Inc.: A Member of Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN-13: 978-0756405243

Set the Foundation for a New Series
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
on 09/21/2008

Mags has been a virtual slave in a mine since he was a little tyke. To survive, he scrabbled for food and learned how to dig out “sparklies” to keep the mine owner off his back. The day the Herald arrives is both the most wonderful and most terrifying of Mags’s life. After more than a decade of abuse and neglect, Mags is brought into a new life that defies comprehension. All that keeps him from panic is the gentle white horse with blue eyes… a horse that is as smart as any human… a Companion who has made Mags his Chosen, a future Herald.

Mags and Dallen must travel to Haven, the city where the Heralds are headquartered, and where the Collegium awaits Heraldic Trainees. Mags must overcome thick layers of defense in order to see the world as more than hunger and beatings. If he can, he’ll find more than he imagined possible—both good and dangerous.

From grubby child worker to a Trainee in the middle of growing intrigue, Mags has the chance to do more than most people experience in a lifetime.

There is no doubt that Mercedes Lackey is extraordinarily talented. This novel is imbued with her spirit and a strong sense of justice. Depth of character, setting, and story are all present in this orphan’s tale, opening readers to a new glimmer of understanding of those less fortunate and the appreciation for having what is needed.

There were some holes in the story that were distracting. As someone new to the world of Valdemar, it took some time to understand what constituted the bond between Companion and Chosen. The story is told from Mags’s point of view, so the reader shouldn’t be told everything right away, but there were basic questions I can’t believe Mags didn’t ask of Dallen. Other “holes” are things that I assume to be lead-ins to the next novel in the series.

Overall, I think fans of Mercedes Lackey will find this to their liking. It seems more targeted for a young adult, or even middle school, audience, but it’s a good read whatever your age.

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‘Coños’, de Juan Manuel de Prada

ElDigital.net — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:55:02 +0000

Cuando de Prada aún no era el famoso ganador del premio Planeta, apareció casi clandestinamente un librito, una pieza casi insólita, en las galeradas de Ediciones Virtuales (Salamanca, 1994). Una edición no venal de la cual se efectuaron tres reimpresiones más a lo largo de ese año, todas ellas de 50 ejemplares, excepto la última, de 69. Pero el boca a boca hizo su trabajo y, a través de fotocopias, reseñas en periódicos y revistas y comentarios en tertulias y radios, se elevó Coños a la categoría de objeto de culto.

La primera, que se editara clandestinamente, porque es un libro de capítulos cortos, y en cada capítulo se describe pormenorizadamente el coño, vagina, vulva o cloaca (como queramos llamarlo) de una mujer diferente. El coño de una momia, el coño de una adúltera, el coño de una trapecista, el coño de una virgen, el coño de una viuda, el coño de una puta, el coño de una desconocida, el coño de una batutsi, el coño de una siberiana y así hasta medio centenar de coños.

La segunda cosa que no es de extrañar es que finalmente se reeditara, hasta conformar la edición definitiva, la que nos ocupa, de la mano de Valdemar. Y es que hay mucho rijoso suelto por el mundo que seguro que se solazará con estas lecturas pseudopornográficas. De hecho, fue Umbral, padrino de de Prada, el que elogió tanto el libro en la Feria del Libro de Madrid que acabó siendo uno de los ejemplares más vendidos.

"Horroris causa"

kingoftheapes — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:52:30 +0000

Si todavía no estáis familiarizados con la obra breve de Richard Matheson, no sé a que estáis esperando para hincarle el diente a “Pesadilla a 20.000 pies (y otros relatos insólitos y terroríficos)”, una estupenda recopilación de relatos fantásticos, impecablemente editada en castellano por mi querida editorial Valdemar. Y si además es la primera vez que leéis algo del maestro, no sabéis cómo os envidio. Porque a pesar de haber firmado al menos un par de novelas imprescindibles como “Soy Leyenda” (1954) o “El increíble hombre menguante” (1956), lo cierto es que la pegada de Matheson se amplifica todavía más en las distancias cortas. Su prosa rápida, el realismo descriptivo y el ritmo asfixiante de algunos de sus cuentos, han dado pie a verdaderas piezas clave para entender el género fantástico del siglo XX, en todas y cada una de sus expresiones.

Porque está claro que la fructífera relación de Matheson con el cine y la televisión (bien sea adaptando textos ajenos o desarrollando material propio), ha contribuido a extender su imaginativo talento más allá del marco de la página en blanco. Por ello, no resulta extraño que la atmósfera de sus relatos más sobrenaturales nos recuerde precisamente a “The Twilight Zone” la fascinante teleserie de culto de Rod Serling; no en vano, el propio Matheson escribió algunos de los episodios más memorables de su periodo clásico, entre 1959 y 1964.

Sin ir más lejos, la historia que da título a esta recopilación (“Pesadilla a 20.000 pies”) ha sido objeto de sendas adaptaciones: la primera de ellas -con guión del propio Matheson- formó parte de la quinta temporada de la serie, para luego ser objeto de un extraordinario “remake” por cortesía de George Miller en su aportación a la versión cinematográfica de los ochenta “En los límites de la realidad” (John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante y George Miller, 1982). Qué se puede decir de este cuento que no sepáis ya, si hasta “Los Simpson” se han servido de él para uno de sus desternillantes especiales de Halloween… Pues dejémoslo en que es simplemente antológico y que, por muchos años que hayan pasado desde su publicación, sigue conservando intacto su magnetismo escalofriante.

El resto de relatos, como no podía ser de otro modo, mantienen el nivel igual de alto. La selección es impecable, abarcando las más variadas temáticas del género. Personalmente he disfrutado mucho con los más “kafkianos” ("El número de la desaparición"), aunque no podría decantarme por un claro favorito. La lectura de pequeñas obras maestras como "Guerra de brujas", "Legion de conspiradores", o "El hombre de las fiestas" deberían formar parte del temario obligatorio de cualquier seminario de escritura creativa que se precie. Trascienden al género y son rabiosamente originales y malintencionadas.

En cuentos como "La casa Slaugther" (originalmente concebida como una novela breve por entregas), sus devaneaos con el subgénero fantasmal son de traca. No olvidemos que en esto, el maestro Matheson es más que un especialista. Y si no, atención a "Una casa enloquecida", especie de variante psicológica (y casi psicosomática) del mismo tema.

Y hasta aquí puedo leer, que diría aquella; no vaya a ser que os destripe demasiadas sorpresas y luego me vengáis con quejas. Si semejante despliegue de argumentos en favor de uno de los escritores más importantes del siglo XX (al menos en opinión de Ray Bradbury y de un servidor) no ha conseguido que se os haga la boca agua, mejor será cederle la palabra al mismísimo Stephen King, alumno aventajado de Matheson y autor del prólogo de la presente edición: «Cuando pensabas que el relato se iba a acabar, cuando tus nervios ya no podían seguir soportándolo, entonces Matheson encendía el turbo y pasaba a la máxima potencia ... Cuando la gente habla del género de terror, supongo que mi nombre es lo primero que menciona, pero sin Richard Matheson yo no estaría aquí».

Al César lo que es del César: pulgares al cielo.

[POSTDATA: A raíz del estreno de la reciente (y necia) adaptación de “Soy leyenda” (Francis Lawrence, 2007), la obra de Matheson experimenta una revalorización al alza. Ahora que incluso Eddie Murphy se apunta al carro (¡horror!), anunciando otro de sus innecesarios “remakes” paródicos a costa de “El increíble hombre menguante”, esperemos que la brecha abierta por esta recopilación no caiga en saco roto y podamos disfrutar de nuevas reediciones de su obras capitales.]

New wines from Spain

berkeleywine — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:44:03 +0000

Yes, it’s true. The floodgates are cranked wide open on the flow of Spanish wine into the USA.

According to the Spanish Exterior Commerce Commission (ICEX), we in the USA now consume over 11 percent of all exported Spanish wine. The value of Spanish wine sold here also continues to grow by hefty margins with each passing year (15% increase in 2006 over 2005, for instance).

What this means for you and me is that we have more choices than ever before when it come to wine from Spain. From crisp, bubbly Cava to elegant Gran Reserva Rioja (and many others in between) the options and varieties are numerous.

At The Spanish Table we taste dozens of wines each week, searching for the best in quality and value, winnowing out the indistinct or overpriced choices that invariably crop up in such a broad and expanding market. The small percentage of wines that finally end up on our shelves represent some of the very best that Spain has to offer right now.

Happily, for those of us with a taste for tradition, some of our ‘new arrivals’ are in fact old favorites. The most intriguing element of the Spanish wine world for me is the mix of famous old bodegas (both large and small) and young, new wineries (also ranging from giant factories to tiny artisan projects). This broad range is reflected in our current batch of new arrivals.

This week we are excited to witness the return to the US market of Marqués de Murrieta, a well established and respected name in Rioja that has been off the market here for several vintages. They are back with a new importer and several excellent wines.

Also from Rioja is the new vintage of Conde de Valdemar rosado, a perennial summertime favorite here.

A big hit in its initial release last year was the basque Txakoli called Gurrutxaga. It is back in the new 2007 vintage.

Speaking of white wines, we are very excited about our latest Albariño called Paco & Lola. Don’t be put off by the silly name or the polka dotted label. This is an excellent example of what Albariño can be when made by skilled and attentive winemakers.

We are also quite pleased with a new white wine from Rueda called Vevi. This flavor filled bottle combines high quality with low price; a combination that always makes me smile.

Finally this week, we have a unique red wine for you. The Arrels Sangre de Garnatxa is made in the Montsant region of Catalunya by local Bay Area winemakers. This small production wine is very difficult to find outside of a few San Francisco restaurants. Those of you who enjoy rich, dark reds will rejoice at the prospect of having this wine in your own personal cellar.

Here then are six choices from among the almost 600 wines we carry

Vevi Rueda 2007 This is the inaugural vintage of a custom blended Rueda wine created specially by Antonio Sanz and the importer José Pastor. The wine is 80% Verdejo and 20% Viura. The bright lemon color mimics aromas and flavors of fresh citrus. Additional notes of melon and guava with a bit of minerality in the background add depth to this bright and refreshing wine. $10.99

Gurrutxaga Txakoli 2007 This basque Txakoli wine comes from the little village of Mendexa along Spain’s northern Cantabrian coast (curiously, the image on the bottle is of the neighboring town, Lekeitio). Crisp, flinty minerality and grapefruity flavor combine in this spritzy, low alcohol white. $15.99

Paco & Lola Albariño 2007 This new arrival will delight Albariño lovers. Pale yellow color with green reflections, citrus and mineral aromas and white peach fruit character all combine with bright, assertive acidity in this excellent example from D.O. Rías Baixas. $19.99

Conde de Valdemar Rosado 2007 The newest vintage of this Rioja region rosado is composed of mostly Garnacha with a bit of Tempranillo added to the blend. This refreshing, summery wine is dark pink in color with ripe strawberry fruit character balancing bright, citrusy acidity. Like a fresh breeze on a hot afternoon, this wine can cool you down and perk you up simultaneously. $10.99

Marqués de Murrieta reserva 2004 We have waited years for this wine to come back to our shores and the wait was not in vain. This excellent, mature red is everything Rioja aficionados look for in a traditional reserva. Brick red color, rich fruit character and elegantly integrated barrel tannins all contribute to the overall experience of this wine. Josh Raynolds of Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar gave the wine 91 points, saying: “Fading medium red. Strawberry and cherry-vanilla aromas are complicated by cured tobacco and coffee. Light in body and supple, offering sweet red fruit flavors, gentle tannins and good back-end grip. Deepened with air, picking up darker berries and a pleasantly bitter cherry skin quality. Finishes with an echo of red fruits and vanilla. Textbook Rioja, and drinking beautifully right now.” $26.99

Arrels Sangre de Garnatxa 2004 This dark, opulent wine from the Montsant region of Catalunya has roots right here in the Bay Area. Arrels is a small production (444 cases in total) project between local Chefs Laurent Manrique (Aqua), Gerald Hirigoyen (Piperade, Bocadillos), Sylvain Portay and Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji (both formerly at the Ritz Carleton, San Francisco). The wine is 100% Garnacha sourced from a small, high altitude plot of old vines. Opaque garnet color and rich, concentrated black cherry fruit character along with tart acidity and background minerality. T-bone steaks, cooked rare on the grill would be a good match. Read more about the wine makers here in a recent SF Chronicle article. $36.99

"De paseo por la Feria de los monstruos"

kingoftheapes — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:14:07 +0000

Hoy os presento a David J. Skal, un historiador, crítico, guionista, novelista ocasional y productor de documentales especializado en el género de terror. Este señor ha publicado un par de ensayos sobre el género que son de consulta obligada para aficionados de todo pelaje y condición, entre los que un servidor destacaría “Hollywood Gothic” (1990) y “Dark Carnival: The secret world of Tod Browning” (1995) que, incomprensiblemente, continúan inéditos en castellano.

Gracias al excelente criterio editorial de Valdemar, podéis haceros ya con vuestro ejemplar de “Monster Show: Una historia cultural del Horror” (1993), un excelente trabajo de erudición cinéfila y análisis sociológico de más de quinientas páginas, de los que se leen de una sentada y dejan poso de clase magistral. En él, el autor da un somero repaso a la historia del género a lo largo del siglo XX, al tiempo que se detiene a reflexionar sobre su influencia a través del Arte y el “mass media”, un poco al estilo de Greil Marcus en su indispensable “Rastros de carmín: una historia secreta del siglo XX” (1989), aunque decantándose por un registro más lúdico y anecdótico.

El eje central de su discurso toma como punto de partida el poder metafórico del Terror como representación inconsciente de los traumas y obsesiones de la sociedad, estableciendo interesantísimos paralelismos al respecto. Arranca con la Primera Guerra Mundial y la sensibilidad post-industrial, interrelacionando a Tod Browning, Lon Chaney y Diane Arbus con el apropiacionismo mórbido de los “freak shows” y los “exhibiciones de atrocidades”; el dualismo moral representado por Frankenstein y el Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde, con los monstruos “humanizando” las bajas pasiones y los instintos atávicos en el marco de la Gran Depresión. Skal justifica la proliferación de súcubos y licántropos a raíz de la Segunda Guerra Mundial con la misma convicción con la que solemos asociar las invasiones alienígenas clásicas con el comunismo y la Guerra Fría; incluso apunta hacia la renovada fascinación por el vampirismo en plena era del Sida. Argumentos todos ellos que, por evidentes y sobados que se nos puedan antojar a día de hoy, aborda con innegable acierto y lucidez.

Posiblemente, junto a “Danza macabra” (1981) de Stephen King –también disponible en Valdemar– de lo mejorcito que se ha escrito al respecto. Recomendable es poco.

Gaven fra Valdemar - fotografier fra Gl. Estrup

doctorasp — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:22:11 +0000

I Historiens Hus er vi netop blevet klar med den første sommerudstilling: Gaven fra Valdemar - fotografier fra Gammel Estrup 1927. Udstillingen fortæller om en speciel gave og dens giver.

Vi glæder os til jeres besøg, og håber I vil prøve vores nye freebies, audioguiden og at I vil bladre i fotoalbummet - helt uden handsker ;-)

Udstillingen er etableret af Charlotta Jenkins og Avatine Fall - det er Avatine, der har kurateret*...

Link til Historiens Hus.

*Kuratering

At kuratere en udstilling vil sige at udtænke den, og at udvælge hvilke kunstnere eller værker, som udstillingen skal sammensættes af. Det handler altså ikke blot om at ’lave’ en udstilling af eksempelvis ny dansk kunst, men om at ’kuratere’ den – at ’skabe’ en sammenhæng frem for blot at præsentere noget.

Dos reflexiones de Gustavo Puerta sobre los libros ilustrados

darabuc — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:13:54 +0000

«Todavía hoy día es importante insistir en dos asuntos relativos a los libros ilustrados para los niños. Ni la ilustración tiene un sentido ornamental ni un libro ilustrado limita la interpretación que hace el lector de un texto o condiciona su imaginación. En buena medida, la salud y vigencia de auténticos clásicos como Alicia en el país de las maravillas, El mago de Oz o Pinocho se debe a la continua puesta al día de varias generaciones de ilustradores. Resulta curioso comprobar cómo estas historias siempre las pensamos ilustradas y es posible que sin las imágenes que las recrean pierdan buena parte de su interés y encanto.»

(Leer la reseña completa)

«A menudo los libros sin palabras son rechazados porque tienen "poca letra". Esto es un error, la narración a través de imágenes tiene una complejidad y un sentido que ignoran quienes se aproximan a ellas desde el prejuicio. Los libros sin palabras narran historias que únicamente se pueden contar prescindiendo de la escritura y empleando sólo las imágenes. Su intensidad, lirismo, empatía y sutileza descansan justamente en el hecho de que el discurso visual avanza por direcciones en las que la palabra evidencia sus límites.»

(Leer la reseña completa)

Take a Thief

caelesti — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:23:42 +0000

Take a Thief: A Novel of Valdemar by Mercades Lackey

Much of Take a Thief reads like a fantasy version of Oliver Twist- an orphan boy who runs away and joins a gang of pickpockets. Skif is a clever and resourceful lad who learns to survive no matter what. Skif's routine is interrupted with a tragic fire- which he suspects was not an accident. As he investigates it, he finds that the arson is connected with other wrongdoing. The wretched circumstances which he and his peers endure is astounding- it reminded me of the all too real poverty that exists in our own world. All too often in fantasy we see only the perspective of the nobility, while the everyday lives of the lower classes are only briefly touched on. The reader may wonder where the plot is going- and it indeed about 2/3rds of the novel is about Skif's life on the streets, until he reaches a fateful turning point.

It takes place over the course of about 5 years or so. But the journey towards that place is a colorful adventure, and it is worth the ride. The action and suspense of the story kept me hooked. This is the second Valdemar book I've read, the other being By the Sword. I wouldn't count this book among my favorites, but I thought it was pretty good. I'd recommend it if you're looking for something different in fantasy other than the usual knights, princesses and dragons.