I just finished book 4 of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King entitled Wizard and Glass. The following is spoiler free. The series is about a gunslinger named Roland and his quest to reach the Dark Tower. He is accompanied by several companions on his journey, all drawn from "our world" to Roland’s. His world has similarities with our own, like an oil drilling station with the words "Exxon" on them. Basically it’s a parallel universe with a different timeline, because things have turned out quite different in Roland’s world. If you want to know more than that, you have to start the series.

This book is almost entirely a flashback, and could probably be read independent from the rest of the series. Aside from a deeper understanding of Roland and his world, most of the characters are new and from a time in Roland’s life that we know little about. Also different is the love story that dominates much of the book, which is really fantastic.

We hit up the library today and picked up book 5, Wolves of the Calla. Should you read this series? I would say my interest is growing with each book, and why that is I’m not sure. I think it’s partly that King has become a better writer as the series goes on, and I’m also growing more accustomed to his style of writing. If you like fantasy that isn’t overboard, and you’re looking for a big commitment, I would check this series out. After you read A Game of Thrones though.

I didn’t post about Winter Session yesterday because I was too busy writing the Clinton post. I apologize to all of you who rushed home to find out what dumb things I was learning only to find no new posts. Yesterday we started presenting our Power Point presentations (yawn). I just presented mine about classifying rational numbers (yawn). Now I’m playing on the internet while people present about the causes of WWII, HIV/Aids, and some guy is going on and on about the senate. Two more days of this madness and it’s over! Then I can start the craziness of student teaching. Does it ever end?

I’ve been reading about EA’s new baseball game that just came out called MVP ’06 NCAA Baseball. It sounds like a solid game, but it’s only out for Xbox and PS2. Seeing as I only own a Gamecube, this makes playing it difficult. At this point I refuse to buy an Xbox or PS2 now that Xbox 360 is out and PS3 is on the horizon. Unfortunately MVP ’06 doesn’t work on Xbox 360, and PS3 is not out, so it looks like I won’t be playing this anytime soon.

For Christmas I bought my brother a copy of A Game of Thrones (only $3.99!). I had told him how cool it was, but I figured if I actually gave him a copy he’d read it, and read it he did. Last night he messaged me saying he’d finished the first book and Sarah bought him the 2nd and 3rd. Finally there is someone else I can share my love of this series with (thanks bro). If you haven’t read this book, you have to give it a shot. If you think reading is a bore, this series could change your whole perspective. I’m a third of the way through book 4, and I look forward to cracking a new fantasy series.

Now a guy is babbling about Trinadad and Tobago. Yawn.

I just finished the first book in George R.R. Martin’s series, A Song of Fire and Ice, called A Game of Thrones, and it was amazing. Start to finish it was a great read, and very difficult to put down. I think there is a certain stigma attached to the entire fantasy genre, like it’s all dorky elves and crystall balls and stuff only nerds can like. The book is really quite accessible though to non-fantasy lovers. It’s very medieval with Kings, Queens, Knights, succession to the various thrones, battles between families and nations. I think the only aspect that makes it fantasy is that it’s a made up world in a made up time, much like The Lord of the Rings. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Now I can start the next book in the series, A Clash of Kings, which is even longer than the first at 768 pages (A Game of Thrones is just over 700). There are many unanswered questions and potential plot twists, it should be interesting. Then I have book 3 to read, A Storm of Swords, which is a whopping 992 pages! Then book 4 should be out sometime this year, which will easily be over 1000 pages. A good book is like a good movie…as long as it’s made up of good stuff, it can be as long as it wants!

As of today I am half-way done with my new fantasy book. I have the next two books, which are even longer than the first one, but 350 pages down, and over 2000 to go! haha. So far it’s been awesome. It’s got everything…cool battles, kings and queens, impending doom, and lots of questions! There seems to be a major battle between two families coming up, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I know you’ve read it Nick, so don’t blow it for me.

I found this on Amazon…it gives a good description of what goes on in the book.

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

I started reading this book recently, and so far it’s awesome. The idea of a huge epics series sounded fun, sort of in the spirit of Lord of the Rings. This is book one in an epic six book series, of which the fourth book is to be released in July. So far it appears to be a great fantasy story full of action, betrayl, love, and war. The first 50 pages were daunting as character after character was introduced, but now that I am familiar with them, I’ve become engrossed in the story. It might have been wise of me to not start reading until all six books were out. Take a look over at amazon to read more about A Game of Thrones.

Lately I’ve been on a book reading binge. My mom bought me Michael Crichton’s latest book for Christmas, and since then I’ve read two and I’ve almost finished a third. I’ve bought all of his books on hardback, but I’m looking for something else to jump into. I think I’m going to give this book/series a try. It’s called A Game of Thrones. It’s a big fantasy epic that spans multiple books. The fourth one is just about to come out, and it’s supposed to stretch for six books total. What’s amazing is how many reviews this book has…over 1000! Anyways, it might be fun. The library has a copy, so I’m going to check it out and see if it’s my kind of book/series or not. Ok, as you were.