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email Kate Elliott

These are brief mentions of books I read recently and really enjoyed.  Each engry group is divided into two sections: Just Because books that I felt like reading for one reason or another and then 'What I'm Reading for Research' (or have recently finished) in case you're interested in that. I'll update periodically.
 

January 1998 entries:

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
    An interesting and provocative first contact novel.

Pillar of Fire by Judith Tarr
    Tarr writes historical fiction with flair, beauty, and exactly the right kind of details to make you feel you're walking through, in this case, the sands of Egypt in the time of the pharaoh Akhenaton. A fine book, and with a wonderfully controversial take on Moses.

Erling's Word by Lars Walker.
    I read this because someone else recommended it; it's got an appalling bad cover that, I admit, would have kept me from ever picking it up without word of mouth. Don't let the cover stop you: Walker convincingly captures the flavor of the old Norse world. It's worth reading alone for the scene where two ships 'pass in the night.'

The Last Hawk by Catherine Asaro
    Asaro's books are always loads of fun to read because they're full of adventure, action, and romance, and yet there's always more complex themes riding underneath. In particular in this novel I loved the game of Quis, a complicated game that is far more than it first seems.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.
    Everyone seems to be talking about this fantasy novel. I had to check it out, and I thought it was very very good, both clever and vivid. I look forward to the sequel.

This is what I've read in the last month or so. I'm currently reading Dennis McKiernan's Into the Forge, a strong epic fantasy. In the past months I've read a number of books, some of which I don't have at hand at the moment, and which I don't have time to do justice to now (or else I'll never write any more books!) Check out Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel, Holly Lisle's latest science fiction novel, and more that I know I'm just not thinking of right now.

I must finally mention Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. I finished the third volume, Blue Mars, a few months ago. I will go out on a limb and say that I think this is the best science fiction written in the 90s. Just excellent.
 

What I'm Reading for Research:

I just took a bunch of books back to the university library, so this will be a short list! Here's a few books I've read in or am reading.

One World, Ready or Not by William Greider. Subtitled 'The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism.' Everything you didn't know about the global economy--this is not your standard global economy cheerleading book.

Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden by Rob Talbot and Robin Whiteman. 'An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and their Uses.' What more need I say? This is just what yer average fantasy writer ordered.

Heimskringla, History of the Kings of Norway, probably by Snorri Sturluson. Translated wonderfully by Lee Hollander. This is one of several early medieval texts I've been reading. Thank goodness there are people who can translate into English for those of us who are linguistically impaired. Not only are these old texts a goldmine for the fantasy writer, but they're also simply and utterly wonderful of themselves. It's as close as we can come to reaching out and touching the past.

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June 1997 entries:

The Red Wyvern by Katherine Kerr
    The ninth novel in the Deverry/Westlands sequence, this book will be published in Fall 1997. I love the Deverry novels because, well, gosh, because they're so well done. Fantasy literature has always been my first love in fiction, and it continues to be so because of series like this one. It has believable and well-thought-out magic, a sense of history, a finely-drawn landscape, a sense of wonder, and compelling characters and conflicts. (Published by HarperCollins in the UK and Bantam in the USA)

Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
    There's a reason this Egyptian writer won the Noble Prize for Literature: because he can write truthfully, majestically, and insightfully about the human condition. I suppose, as with any arts award, that there might be "political" reasons as well, but I'm not qualified to comment on those. I read the novel with a deep appreciation for his skill, his compassion for humanity, and for the simply wonderful and compelling story. (USA edition: Anchor Books\Doubleday) 

White Queen by Gwyneth Jones
    "Genuinely weird," quoth Bruce Sterling of this near-future sf novel, and I agree. I swear half the time I didn't really know what was going on, but that was also half the fun--and the charm. Strange, challenging, and chock-full of what sf does best. (US edition: Tor Books) 

The Broken Crown by Michelle West.
    Dense, rich, emotional fantasy about the drive for power and the patience for revenge. (DAW Books)

Lady of the Glen by Jennifer Roberson.
    For no particular reason, I have never been interested in Things Scottish, which means any such novel would have to be very well done to interest me. This is an historical novel about Scotland and the infamous Glencoe Massacre. I read it in two evenings. 'Nuff said. (Zebra) 
 

What I'm Reading for Research:

The Early Growth of the European Economy: Warriors and Peasants from the Seventh to the Twelfth Century by Georges Duby. (Cornell University Press) 

Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations by E.C. Krupp. (Oxford University Press) 

The Myth of Replacement: Stars, Gods, and Order in the Universe by Thomas D. Worthen (The University of Arizona Press) 

Popular Religion in Late Saxon England: Elf Charms in Context by Karen Louise Jolly (The University of North Carolina Press) 

The Envy of Angels: Cathedral Schools and Social Ideals in Medieval Europe, 950-1200 by C. Stephen Jaeger (University of Pennsylvania Press) 

Book of the Categories of Nations by Sa'id al-Andalusi, translated and edited by Sema'an I. Salem and Alok Kumar (University of Texas Press).  This is a translation of an 11th century work by a Spanish Muslim that "records" the contributions to science of all known nations (of that time).

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