December '23 Book Reviews | Kuang, Butcher, GGK | 8 books, 6 genres
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Have you read any of these books? What was your book of the month?
00:00 Intro
01:04 Biography
03:01 Science Fiction
05:25 Crime Fiction
07:59 Magical Realism
09:54 Fantasy
15:13 Book of the Month
19:00 Outro
SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
Amazon Wish List: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls...
TWITTER/X
@BooksFury
GOODREADS
goodreads.com/redfurybooks
Please LIKE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE! And check out some of my past videos!
Thanks for watching!
If I love only one thing about your channel (and of course it’s not actually only one), it’s the diversity of what you read. I’ve been on an almost only fantasy track since I started my channel, but you keep inspiring me to branch out back into sci-fi, contemporary fiction, and maybe even some crime. Keep it up! 🙂👌🏻
Thank you, my friend! Switching up genres just works for me, and helps me never end up in a reading slump. Viva la varietie!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving Ark of Ascension a try, and thank you so much for this wonderful feedback! And yes, I can guarantee you more world-building in book 2!
I enjoyed it, Michael! I look forward to reading more of your work in the new year. Cheers!
Apologies, took some time to get through my notes on «River of Stars» and edit them into (questionably) understandable sentences! 😅😆
The 12th Dynasty of Khitan is clearly based on the (Northern) Song Dynasty of China and the Xiaolu on the Khitan Liao Dynasty.
The Altai shares their name with the Turkic Altai People in Modern Day Russia, while their role is more of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (from which the Manchu would later grew out of), which replaced the Khitan and conquered Northern China, forcing the Song south to establish the Southern Song Dynasty.
The Kislik are compatible with the Tangut Western Xia Dynasty, and their capital of Erighaya has multiple possible inspirations: Xingqing (the Xia Capital, Modern Day Yinchuan), as well as Lingzhou (a Xia City) and Nanjing* (*Modern Day Beijing, Southern Capitol of the Khitan Liao Dynasty) for reasons mentioned later.
The name of Hanjin seems to a mix of Beijing & Han (the Majority Chinese Ethnicity), while serving a similar role of Kaifang, the Capital of (Northern) Song China
Yenling: Luoyang, one of China’s oldest city and a cradle of Chinese Civilization, the Western Capital of Song, famous for its Peonies and its Peony Festival/Zhaozhou, which held out for a long time under command of Han Shizhong during the 2nd Jurchen Jin Invasion of Song China. Peonies have indeed been popular since the Tang Dynasty, and was named the National Flower of China during the later Qing Dynasty and in a recent poll in PRC, while the «Peony Craze» slightly mimic the «Tulip Mania» of 17th Century Netherlands!
While Ren Daiyan is mostly based on Yue Fei, a Song General and later Folk Hero, with similar victories against the Jurchen, his skill as an archer and having a similar tattoo as Ren in some stories, the outlaw aspect of him is lifted much more from the 108 «heroic» bandits of the Classic Song Novel «The Water Margin»/«Outlaws of the Marches»/«All Men Are Brothers», which battle and tricked corrupt bureaucrats and tax collectors, not unlike Robin Hood and his Merry Men of Sherwood Forest in the Western Canon: The Wine Seller Heist is almost straight out of «Water Margin», though with Date sellers, and not hemp! As such Ren as also shares aspects with Song Jiang (the Leader of the 108 Heroes, based on a real life leader of a campaign against the Khitan Liao Dynasty), Wu Song (The Tiger Killer of the 108) and Hua Rong (The Master Archer of the 108).
Zhao Ziji is similarly based on Han Shizhong, a Song General who held the Northern City of Zhaozhou during the Jurchen 2th Invasion before escorted the future first Southern Song Emperor to safety in the South, but also «The Water Margin» Characters: Lu Zhishen, a former Army officer turned Bandit (and Munk!) among the 108 and Yang Zhi, a Bandit turned soldier against his will, which lead the Birthday gift caravan hit by the Wine Seller Heist, before he later joined the 108.
Prime Minister Hang Dejin is clearly based on the Historical Song Minister Wang Anshi, (in)famous for his «New Polices»: He intended to balance the Song Treasury with cuts to state expenditure, nationalizing industries and fund silk production, a major revenue for the Song State. Similarly he attempted to improve efficiency within the Song Bureaucracy, by de-emphasize the study of Confucian Classics in civil servant education over more practical and balanced education. The Military was also reformed: Army units were reformed into combined forces of infantry, cavalry and archers rather than as seperate units, local militias were established to relieve the army of internal duties and increased military spending went into an aggressive foreign policy against the Northern Border and the Empires of the Steppe.
Finally Wang attempted to alleviate suffering among the poor farmers, by tax cuts and public loans («Green Sprouts Law») for struggling farmers, hiring workers over corvee forced labor, and targeting those leaching of their poverty (money lenders, speculators, big landowners and private monopolies) by buying surplus wares to store in new granaries and deal out in harsher periods.
However, local bureaucrats exploited the loans, which only reinforced the debt struggle of farmers, and famine combined with conservative/reformer rivalry and corruption and financial mismanagement by Wang’s followers, would leave the Northern Song open for the Jurchen invasion which fell the Northern Song and left China divided between the Jurchen Jin Dynasty in the North and the Southern Song Dynasty in the South.
The Former Prime Minister Xi Wengao is based on Sima Guang, the main conservative rival of Wang Anshi and labeled China’s Greatest Historian, while Kai Zhen is based on Cai Jing, a Song Minister and «The Water Margin» Antagonist, and Wu Tong mostly on Tong Guan, Eunuch General allied with Kai Zhen also made an antagonist in «The Water Margin» for his failed Campaign against the Khitan Liao Dynasty to capture back the city they had turned their Southern Capital (Modern Day Beijing), but also on Liu Fa (a General whose army was crushed by the Tanguts when attempting to take their Capital) and Gao Zunyu (who attacked the Tangut Xia City Lingzhou without seige weapons)!
Lu Chen is based on the Poet and Statesman Su Shi/Dongpo, who also wrote a Battle of Red Cliff Poem: «Ode to the Battle of the Red Cliffs», about the famous Historic (but also much romanticized and mythologized) Battle during the Three Kingdoms Period.
Szechen: Sichuan
Empress Hao: Empress Wu Zetian, the only empress of China ruling in her own right, much maligned by some as bloodthirsty and power hungry, hailed as a champion of women, the arts and fair government by others.
Love the detail GGK put into lifting several of «The Six Arts of Ancient Chinese Education» in this story: Archery, music, rites, calligraphy & equestrianism (mathematics was the only one not particularly mention of the six)!
The use of two swords mimic the Samurai Warrior Caste of Japan, who also held the bow up as the most noble weapon.
The ninth day of the ninth month as a holy day: 9X9=49, a holy number tied to the number of days Siddhartha Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree before gaining enlightenment.
The Emperor’s line over owning poems by Lu, «Prehaps we must be exiled, ourselves!» showed a great sense of humor for the Emperor, but also served as a hint for his future…
I am curious to know if GGK might be a fan of the 70s movie «March or Die!», about the French Foreign Legion defending Archeologists against Desert Raiders in the Sahara!
Published in 2013, I also can not help but think comparisons also to more recent history: The disastrous Kislik War, the poverty crisis of Kitan and the infamous «New Polices» also seems as take that against the «Neo-Conservative» US Wars in the Middle East with support by the «New Democrats» and British «New Labour» (I also can not help but think of the devastation done to both humans and archaeological artifacts by terror groups in the region both then and later with the Altai Pillaging), the «Neo-Liberal» economic failures of the Financial Crisis of 07-08, and the much maligned office policy of «New Public Management» of «efficiency and costumer service, over quality and working environment». Which would be slightly ironic, given that Wang and his good intentions have a better reputation among the Chinese Communist Party and US New Dealers!
I think Summer Knight is when Dresden takes off. Love when the world of the Fae gets layered in.
I'm enjoying it so far!
Love the fairy Godmother
I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it!
I am honestly so happy to hear how big of a hit Yellowface was for you! It was unhinged in the best way possible if you ask me, haha. And very intrigued by Ark of Ascension, it sounds like an exciting quick read in between all the dark chunkers. Hope 2024 has started off strong for you!
Ark of Ascension is definitely a great fast-paced read to squeeze in somewhere!
Man I really want to read Yellowface now, you sold the heck out of it.
My book of the month was Perdido Street Station. It's a book worthy of breaking your TBR for.
Awesome - I hope you enjoy Yellowface!
I just found your channel and subbed. You sure read a wide variety 😊 I read mostly urban fantasy and fantasy now. Im only now reading Lies of Locke Lamora and so far, so good. I enjoy Dresden Files, yes he does the weirdo gazing thing with women, but thats true of a lot of men in real life. The characters become much more lovable throughout. I admit I read them all back to back. Love most everything King. Im happy I found you. 👍
Thanks for checking out the channel! Yes, I find Harry's male gaze off-putting, but I did enjoy Grave Peril and am listening to Summer Knight right now. (My first Dresden audiobook and the narrator is fantastic).
Great reading month. Thanks for another great video! Your GGK-reading order is very different than mine. But who cares? I'm a huge Murakami-fan as well. There is a new novel coming. A Dutch translation will be here in May this year. The title would translate into English as something like: The City and its Unsteady Walls.
Yes, I'm definitely not doing any semblance of a sensible order with GGK! Glad to find another Murakami fan and good to know he has a new one coming this year!
Hi Josh, it's interesting to hear your comments about River Of Stars as it was the book that stopped me reading GGK for many years.
I felt that the style of it was so different and didn't gel with me like all his previous works, so much so that I backed away from him as an author.
I had been reading his books as they were being published for many years, but ROS really didn't sit well with me.
For me it is at the bottom of the list for his books.
It took Jake Bishop's enthusiasm to get me to pick up GGK again.
In December I read 5 books and 1 comic book.
Books:
Phased - Victoria Tecken
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K Dick
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Red Rising - Pierce Brown
Nettle And Bone - T Kingfisher
Comic Books:
Guatemala - Judge Dredd - John Wagner
My book of the month was Nettle And Bone followed by Red Rising
Jake did mention that River of Stars was a lot stronger in a reread. I addressed that in some of my commentary that ended up on the cutting room floor of this video! But I'd say get back to GGK if you haven't read some of the other big ones!
That is so fascinating about Brahms! I’ve often thought that I would burn all my journals before I die (which would result in a bonfire), but I doubt that anyone would care about that stuff. 😅 As for Brahms, on the other hand, musicologists must still lament!
Yes, Brahms was a far more enigmatic character than I had known ahead of time!
2023, the year of GGK!
Just wait for my Red Fury Book Awards.... he's definitely nominated for a few!
Well, my book of the month y year ended up being Project Hail Mary. I don't even like Scifi, but that book was so very good! I see Yellowface all over the place, it's on several shelves and tables at my B&N. I'll be picking it up and placing somewhere on my tbr.
I really need to read Project Hail Mary- I loved the Martian.
Can confirm, you're in the false peak stage or Dresden. Books 3 through 5 are step up from 1 and 2 in everyway. Book 6 takes a bit of a dip but ratchets right back up again from Book 7 onwards.
I really need to get to River of Stars but I want to re-read Under Heaven cuz i love it so much. No idea when since RotE and Dandelion Dynasty are stealing my focus right now.
In December I read:
*Classic*
The Tell Tale Heart / Edgar Allen Poe
*Fantasy*
Liveship Traders 1: Ship of Magic
- Book of the month.
The Silmarillion / J.R.R Tolkien
- Fantastic. A lot of names and places but this really does read like a history as opposed to a narrative.
As for what I'm currently reading:
*Fantasy*
Liveship Traders 2: Mad Ship
*Mystery*
Boy's Life / Robert McCammon
*Silkpunk*
Dandelion Dynasty 3: Veiled Throne
Heck of a month with both Boy's Life and two of the Liveship Traders books!
Great set of reviews Josh! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Yellowface. Sounds like she definitely made some bold choice. I haven’t read any of her books. Grave Peril really is a great book. I actually thought Summer Knight was a fantastic book, so I hope you enjoy it.
I just started Summer Knight and so far so good!
I'm glad you liked Grave Peril! I think Summer Knight is kinda divisive among fans, but I loved it and pretty much every book after it. My book of the month for Dec was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It was one of the best books I read in 2023. It's still on my mind over a month after I finished it.
I just started Summer Knight but like it so far. Demon Copperhead intrigues me - I may have to pick that one up.
Hi Josh. I didn't like any books I tried from Butcher or Kay. But I just put Yellowface on my 'might read' list. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year, Curt!
Nice to hear there’s an early peak in Dresden, not so good to hear book two is the worst 🙈.
My best book in December was probably Ship of Destiny.
Ship of Destiny is a fine choice!
Here's what I read in December
Queen of myth and monster by scarlett st claire
The foxglove king by hannah whitten
The woman in me by britney spears memoir
Crossroads of twilight by Robert Jordan
Once upon a December
Season of love by helena greer
A part of your world by abby Jimenez
A holly jolly diwali
A merry little meet cute by julie Murphy
The painted Devil's by Margaret Owen
The wolf gift by Anne rice
Weather girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Age of vice
Killers of a certain age by Deanna raybourn
Dreamland by nicholas sparks
Things we never got over by Lucy score
The family game by Catherine steadman
I have Yellowface on my virtual TBR, so will probably wait until it's in paperback before getting it (got Babel on my physical TBR), so glad you really enjoyed it. Certainly created a lot of chat about it, that's for sure! Only read two books last month - The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson and Pyramids by Terry Pratchett. Both three star reads, so unable to separate them...
I hope you enjoy Yellowface!
@@RedFuryBooks Thanks!
Josh I can not thank you enough for your under appreciated video!! I am enjoying DeathStalker by Simon R Green so much! Not only is it like First Law or Kings of the Wyld in space, the narrator, Gildart Jackson , is up to par with Stephen Pacey. It is a satire of Star Wars & Dune and the best palate cleanser after a serious tome! It is the exact opposite of Suneater!
Oh awesome! I hope to get to that one this year too!
@@RedFuryBooks Ian Gubeli, a young newish booktuber who has a big following already gave you a big shout out yesterday by naming you his favorite booktuber, I bet you see a big bump in subs.😀
@@heidi6281 I'm flattered that anyone would consider me their favorite book tuber, as there are so many truly outstanding channels out there. I need to check out his channel - thanks for putting him on my radar!
@@RedFuryBooks His latest video is long he mentions you at 34:00, almost near the end. He is really delightful and fun to watch.
I'm always looking for similar books like Kings of the Wyld. Thanks.
One of my favourite books of December was The Holy Machine by Chris Beckett. It explores AI, virtual reality, religion and what it means to be sentient.
Sounds interesting!
I've been meaning to read Yellowface for a while now, so maybe this will push me to do that! My December book of the month was probably Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad by Daniel Finkelstein. I haven't really done much reading or learning about WWII in Europe since school so this book was a good way to get back into that, as it's basically history told through biography. Loved your channel in 2023 and can't wait to see where it goes in 2024 :)
Thanks so much! And I hope you enjoy Yellowface when you get to it!
Do know with UA-camrs call it book reviews, because they do not review everything.