Everyone who reads feels this at some point in their reading life, usually a lot more than once. This for me though is the worst I have possibly ever had it and it's definitely lasting longer than normal as well.
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| The First in the Lightstone Series of Books by David Zindell |
The books I am suffering withdrawal symptoms from are the Lightstone Series by David Zindell, (/the link to the first of the series is HERE). I first came across the author David Zindell when I was 15 and I read his science fiction book Neverness, which was the first real hard science sci-fi book I had ever read, it was also full of philosophy and concepts that quite literally altered the way I chose to live. To say it had a massive effect on me is an understatement. So, when I saw he had written some fantasy books I was hugely interested as that was really the genre I was interested in back then.
I read the first one when it came out in 2001 and read it and loved it, then I read the second book in the series that came out and loved that, but then I got confused. The second book that came out is the second part of Book 1, I then must have gotten the wrong book and got lost and put them to one side and forgotten about them until recently. The gaps in publication and life at the time meant I just got lost and confused with what I had or hadn't read. I was also a massive bibliophile and had hundreds of books to read (now sadly lost)
Fate landed me in a position where I have a lot of free time on my hands and I had recently been in contact with the author and it had sparked my enthusiasm to read the books properly and in the correct order. So I got the kindle version and sat down to read it. And it was as good as I remember.
I am not going to go into detail with the plot, that's up to you to discover! Suffice to say it's a series set around a good old set of quests and an age long struggle between good and evil, as a lot of fantasy books are. The difference I got from these is that the struggle is really boomin difficult and the evil is truly nasty and has consequences not just to the world, but the whole universe if it succeeds. There is a real feeling of peril and risk in the books.
David has also managed to work in themes and hints of mythology from our own world and past, leaving you wondering about the placing of the books. Are they in our past, in our far future, or are they just in a parallel universe that has close mirrors to our own. I have tried to ask him and he has been evasive in his answers!
The one thing I did find with these books is that I got so involved with the characters and plot that I genuinely felt I was living it with them. I even started dreaming about it, which has happened so rarely in my rather long reading life that it is quite important for me. This Is why I am suffering such an immense feeling of loss now I have finished the series. I wake up wanting to know how Maram is doing and missing the fact I have no epic struggle to read and enjoy during the day. Finishing these books has left a huge void.
The books are not an easy read, there are long periods of quite intense dialogue and when it gets bleak it gets REALLY bleak to the point I felt quite lost. David has a deep interest in philosophy and like his science fiction works, these philosophical themes are worked through in the books, this can lead to some of the heavy dialogue, but bear with it, it's worth it!
They are nearly twenty years old now, but they definitely stand the time test and have not aged at all. Please give them a go.
Rich 2020
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