For some odd reason, I decided to
start three novels at once - Tai-Pan,
Game
of Thrones, and Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The
last two I began more out of a sense of intrigue given the popularity of the
books and the subsequent visual adaptations.
Plus, I checked them out in e-book
format from the Fayetteville Public Library (or FPL as it’ll be referred to
from hereafter). Zero dollars and zero physical
bulk make both easier to peruse.
With Game
of Thrones, I’ve decided to hit the pause button given the number of characters
already introduced in the first three chapters.
No doubt it will take more effort to get those characters down. However, it has been enjoyable the little I
have read.
Thru the first chapter, the Harry
Potter book is not nearly as complex as Game of Thrones, but is equally as pleasing. Already I can tell the feel of the story is light
and airy, a sharp contrast to the brooding and dark Game of Thrones.
But Tai-Pan
receives most of my attention. The
storyline is complex, and the characters are fascinating. Written by James
Clavell, the book is a loose historical fiction about the history of Hong
Kong. The story is mainly centered around
the character Dirk Struan, a Scotsman turned sea trader. I won’t bore you with the details, but would
highly recommend it, even though I’m only twelve chapters deep. There are times the dialogue, written in
slang or broken English, is hard to understand but worth trudging through. The most interesting parts of the novel are when
the characters tackle tough topics of morality.
Sometimes that’s displayed through the inner turmoil of their
conscience. Sometimes it’s a dialogue between
characters. Whatever beliefs are held are
often violated by greed or selfish desire.
That sums it up for now. On to reading more…
