Review of The Black Magician' trioligy Trudi Canavan.

Since I posted last I had the joy of reading the 'The Black Magician' trilogy by Trudi Canavan. It was dearly recommended by a colleague from work. Fortunately he loaned me the books.

"Sonea has just discovered that she can work magic, but she has also accidentally injured one of the Magicians--the enforcers of the city Imardin. With the help of her friends and the assistance of the Thieves Guild, she will escape what she considers a fate worse than death--being inducted into the Magicians Guild"

Besides the Potter series I can hardly remember when I have read such a good fantasy story. The story manly follows Sonea, but also follow a couple of other supporting characters along the way. Trudi does this in fine stile. It doesn't break up the story, in fact it gives more perspective which in tern gives the story more depth.

The trilogy is The Magicians' Guild, The Novice and The High Lord.
Read other reviews and see what other readers say about the book
here.

I can only give this series my warmest recommendations!

Magician by Raymond E. Feist.

Magician by Raymond E. Feist.

This is my all time favorite fantasy novel. It has all that you need. Magic, heroes, multiple worlds and great characters with feelings and background. I have read this book several times, I can't seem to resist going back and reading it again.

The book follows two boys, Pug and Thomas from their youth in a castle on the frontier and from there onwards several years. The book is exciting and will keep you up several nights. The plot and the world is very well thought through.
The number of books in the series will give evidence that this is a great read! You don't have to read the whole series, the Magician has an ending.

You will meet great magicians, elven warriors, an ancient dragon...

Don't just take my word for it, you can read other reviews here.

I wish you the best time reading this!
Carsten

Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund

Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund

This is the first Halo novel, a prequel to the xbox/ pc-game. It does not in any way require that that you have played the game to seriously enjoy the book. The book gives you a very good information about the Halo universe, even allot of background information that is not revealed in the game.

Mr. Nylund is very adept at writing action-suspense sci-fi. I had real trouble putting the novel down and sat up late at night reading it. Even though he started as an adult writing novels, he has surely mastered the key points of writing!

You will hear about the birth of the Spartan program and get to know John (the Master Chief) from he is a kid. The novel follows John and his fellow Spartans through training and on to real missions. I will not reveal the details here, that would be to spoil your fun. Only will I tell you that the novel takes you up to the time where the game starts.

If you have read Ender's Game you might find similarities, but this is in no way cheap copy/rewrite. This is just as good, if not better, IMHO.

You have been warned, make sure you have time to read the book once you get it. Even if you have no intention of playing the game you should get this book, and the sequels.

All in all Halo: The Fall of Reach is a must read for every sci-fi enthusiast.

Best wishes and hope you enjoy a great read,

Carsten

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

I don't care if you believe in faith, energy or God, you are certain to get some good ideas from this book. Even though I have my doubts about a higher power, this book has helped me in several areas and has made me a happier person.

One of the aspects from The Secret is about asking for what you want and imagine that you already have it. You would properly agree that having a goal clearly in your mind will help focus your subconscious mind, and help you - get new ideas, spot new business possibilities and so forth.

The book covers prosperity, your body, your relationships....

I can only recommend this book with all my heart.

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Do you feel that you have more projects running at work than you can handle?
Do you forget projects where you have been waiting for someone else to get back to you?
Having trouble saying no to new task and drowning small and big projects?

Unless your have the privilege of working with one and only one thing at the time and is never disturbed by phone calls or your colleagues you simply NEED this book.

It has seriously reduced the amount of stress I have at work and at home and I can only give it my highest recommendations!!! Not only do I feel less stress, I know what I am working on, and can with a good conscience tell my boss or colleagues if I don't have time for a new small task unless it's OK that I either park current projects or delegate some of my work.


The system in Getting Things Done (GTD) is easy to learn and implement, and if you work with it and give it a little time, it could save you! It will take a little extra work to start with but very soon you will see the fruit of the seed you have planted. David Allen has a great sense of humor and the book is enjoyable to read. Its written for you and me in plain English, not filled with buss-words to fill the pages.
You can use the system whoever you are and what you do no matter if you are a manager, programmer or professional house keeper. All you need is some folders, a labeler and some in trays. If you have a PDA or a laptop, that would work very well also.
There is a reason that it is one of the top-selling books on Amazon. It works.

A good peace of advise for you: always carry a small notebook, like a Moleskine notebook, and something to write with. (A PDA would work as well, of course ) When you remember something you need to do, or get some inspiration about one of your projects, you can write it and save it. Your brain is more likely to give you great ideas if it knows that you can save them somewhere.