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Deadhouse Landing (Path to Ascendancy #2) by Ian C. Esslemont

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Deadhouse Landing (Path to Ascendancy #2) (by Ian C. Esslemont) Published by Bantam Books in 2018 Genres: Fantasy Pages: 473 Format: Paperback   Returning readers to the turbulent early history of what would become the Malazan Empire, the second chapter in Ian C. Esslemont's thrilling new epic fantasy sequence . . .  After the disappointments of Li Heng, Dancer and Kellanved wash up on a small insignificant island named Malaz. Immediately, of course, Kellanved plans to take it over. To do so they join forces with a small band of Napans who have fled a civil war on their own home island. The plan, however, soon goes awry as Kellanved develops a strange and dangerous fascination for a mysterious ancient structure found on the island. The chaos in the region extends to the metaphysical planes also as a young priest of D'rek starts to question the rot at the heart of the worship of the god of decay. And back in Li Heng, Dassem, now the proclaimed Sword of Hood, finds...

The Mabinogion

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The Mabinogion (translated by Lady Charlotte E. Guest) Published by Dover Publications, Inc. in 1997 Genres: Fiction Pages: 224 Format: Paperback   Composed in a golden age of Celtic storytelling in the thirteenth century or earlier, this collection of 12 Welsh prose tales is a masterpiece of European literature. Though written down in the Middle Ages, these stories are thought by scholars to be probably much older, perhaps going back to the dawn of Celtic civilization. They fall naturally into several groups: the Mabinogion (stories) proper, composed of the four tales of Pwyll, Branwen, Manawyddan, and Math; the two short pieces The Dream of Maxen Wledig and Lludd and Llevelys ; the incomparable Kilhwch and Olwen , one of the earliest Arthurian tales in Welsh; The Dream of Rhonabwy , a romantic look back to the heroic age of Britain; and the three Arthurian romances proper: The Lady of the Fountain , Peredur the Son of Evrawc , and Geraint the Son of Erbin , wi...

A Beginning

First and foremost this blog is about my love of books and reading in general and reviewing what I have read in particular.  Other topics like movies and fashion make their appearance too. The name of the blog comes from JRR Tolkien’s story of LĂșthien and Beren where she dances in a "mist of hemlocks" the first time they meet. This article on Tolkien Society webpage proposes that the plant in the scene was probably Cow parsley, aka Fairy lace.