Read "River God" many moons back. It was odd at first, a total departure from Smith's other books. Got to enjoy it a lot. I've read it at least once since, might be time to dust it off again. And welcome! Have to look for it. I saw the movie a couple of years or so ago. It's worth the watch. I remember Leeds back then. We used to call Bremner "The dirty little dwarf" I was in Goodison when Jimmy Gabriel took the ball off him, Bremner chased him down and jumped on his back. Didn't slow Jimmy down at all, he kept going and got his cross in. Gabriel came over and coached the old Sounders for a while. The knuckle dragging media back then didn't like a scouse coaching their kids.
It's a good book: takes some getting used to since it jumps back and forth from Clough's earlier years (mostly at Derby) and the 40-odd days with Leeds. I'm borrowing a friend's copy which he bought in England. Seems to only be available on kindle here.
Cheers Dr Wankler, for your camaraderie Incidentally, of Smith's more traditional works, I think I hold Eagle in the Sky, and When The Lion Feeds, closest to my heart.. Speaking of Fantasy, my second genre-love after horror, my first... I hold Gemmell (simple but powerful IMO; the man paints, so to speak, with the Primary Colors), and Donaldson (Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) in the most enduring regard. Donaldson is the only man whom has ever made me weep while reading a fantasy novel; I believe I wept, beautifully, cathartically, during the penultimate stages of the third book in the original trilogy. In highschool, I composed erotica, and those teachers whom were good dudes, indulged me and read aloud to the class said compositions. It was a nice way to "waste" time in the stifling, silly, highschool class days.
Hey, I did welcome you aboard.. "When the Lion Feeds" was the best book I ever read in the 60's. I had to tell everybody about it. An adventure in the grand scale of African adventure. (I reread a couple of years back and it didn't lose anything) Then the subsequent books following the families travels and travails over generations. "The Sound of Thunder" "A Sparrow Falls" and more. "Eagle in the Sky" Not so much. The story line was very good but the maudlin tone it took lost it for me. I do believe I've read all of Smiths books over the years.
Hey my apologies.. Cheers for the welcome How do you feel about Smith's, The Quest? No spoilers please, please... ple-ase dont tase me bro..
Then you owe it to yourself. Start with "When the Lion Feeds" though. Wilbur Smith 1964. A worthy successor to his Egyptian stories. Hated the way they killed him off in the 3rd chapter though! I kid......
Some would opine - admittedly many of these men require a few plum brandy's first - that WTLF remains Smith's greatest work. In my experience, those whom hold that opinion have been, in the majority, Asian-American men with pronounced penchants for fiction involving fratricide, and one of the, Great Cats, employed as symbolic device.. As regards, The Quest, or, TQ, my feeling is that I should anticipate Taita and Meren eventually fellating one another.
Let me add a welcome to TAW as well. We're always happy to have more readers in this place. You gotta do something about your sig, though. This is not a fanboy site...
O Pioneers! - Willa Cather "Isn't it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years."
Just started this one, the third of the Jimmy Paz series. So far it is a good read, smoother than the first two (though the second was smoother than the first). Also like the shown The Book of Air and Shadows and The Good Son.
I'm on the Canto a day plan. Currently wallowing through the last bolgia or two of the 8th Circle. I very much enjoy and appreciate Ciardi's introductions and notes for each Canto.
Donna Andrews -- Murder with Peacocks and Murder with Puffins I am writing a cozy mystery right now and thought I would go back and re-try to familiarize myself with the genre, only to rediscover that I hate the genre. These books are soooo tedious. Cozies are full of dogs and cats (who are practically characters), recipes, quilt patterns, and in these two, birds that have nothing to do with the plot. Waaaay too cutesy.
2/3rds of the way into "The English Girl" I really didn't think I was in the mood for another Daniel Silva book right now. Made the mistake of opening it and didn't put the light out until after 1am. Had a meeting the morning as well. Silva can be a little exhausting at times but his stories keep you engrossed. "Seven days One girl No second chances Madeline Hart is a rising star in Britain's governing party: beautiful, intelligent, driven by an impoverished childhood to succeed. But she is also a woman with a dark secret: she is the lover of Prime Minister Jonathan Lancaster. Somehow, her kidnappers have learned of the affair, and they intend to make the British leader pay dearly for his sins. Fearful of a scandal that will destroy his career, Lancaster decides to handle the matter privately rather than involve the British police. It is a risky gambit, not only for the prime minister but also for the operative who will conduct the search. You have seven days, or the girl dies. Enter Gabriel Allon—master assassin, art restorer and spy—who is no stranger to dangerous assignments or political intrigue. With the clock ticking, Gabriel embarks on a desperate attempt to bring Madeline home safely. His mission takes him from the criminal underworld of Marseilles to an isolated valley in the mountains of Provence to the stately if faded corridors of power in London—and, finally, to a pulse-pounding climax in Moscow, a city of violence and spies where there is a long list of men who wish Gabriel dead. From the novel's opening pages until the shocking ending when the true motives behind Madeline's disappearance are revealed, The English Girl will hold readers spellbound. It is a timely reminder that, in today's world, money often matters more than ideology. And it proves once again why Daniel Silva has been called his generation's finest writer of suspense and foreign intrigue."
I've read all the books. His book cover cover paintings are just great as well, aren't they. They'd make a nice series of pictures for the old style office/den wall. I've been aboard the Victory, Nelson's Flagship they have that same "feel"