Dragon Bones and Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs(and a little Bleach
And so ends my stash of Patricia Briggs's fantasy books, unless I manage to find a copy of Masques(my understanding is that it's out of print, so...) I hunted these down because I liked her Mercy Thompson books, but i actually prefer her high fantasy to her urban fantasy.
These books are about Ward of Hurog. Ward's a nice guy, but he comes from a long line of...well, creeps. When he was a kid, his father, who viewed him as a rival, beat him so badly that it took him two years to recover. Among other things, the beating damaged his ability to speak, making his speach very, very slow, resulting in people thinking he was brain damaged. When Ward realized that this made his father see him as less of a threat, he faked dumbness in order to survive. The fact that he's as big as an ox and has dumb puppy eyes(both descriptions being from the books) only helps. However, when his father dies Ward has to figure out how to go "hey, I'm not dumb, I've just been faking it all these years" without making everyone hate him.
Before he can do so, however, the (EVIL!) king orders him sent to an asylum for mad nobles. To prove his mettle, Ward escapes, along with an oversized dwarf(again, book description) the family ghost and his mute sister and sets off to make a name for himself as a smart man. The first book deals with the history of Hurog(the lords of Hurog are rumored to be descended from dragons, and it's believed that there are treasures hidden there) and Ward establishing himself, while the second book takes care of the loose ends, particularly dealing with the scum!king. Not as good as the Raven duology, but I liked these a lot and they had a few good twists.
I'm also catching up with Bleach. After comments in
telophase's post earlier today, it seems I can't look at Byakkuya without thinking "noodle hair." I've also realized that I'm rather fickle about Byakuya: it seems I either like him or want to punch him in the face depending on the latest opinion I've read or discussion I've had about him. I don't know if this means I have no opinion of him, or if I both love and hate him. But then, I'm kinda fickle about Bleach in general...my favorite is Ichigo, Renji or Ishida...whichever happens to be in front of me at the time.
Also, why is it that Rukia looks normal sized most of the time, but teeny weeny when around Ichigo or Renji. They aren't gisnts. She isn't a midget. Maybe it's their giant swords...
These books are about Ward of Hurog. Ward's a nice guy, but he comes from a long line of...well, creeps. When he was a kid, his father, who viewed him as a rival, beat him so badly that it took him two years to recover. Among other things, the beating damaged his ability to speak, making his speach very, very slow, resulting in people thinking he was brain damaged. When Ward realized that this made his father see him as less of a threat, he faked dumbness in order to survive. The fact that he's as big as an ox and has dumb puppy eyes(both descriptions being from the books) only helps. However, when his father dies Ward has to figure out how to go "hey, I'm not dumb, I've just been faking it all these years" without making everyone hate him.
Before he can do so, however, the (EVIL!) king orders him sent to an asylum for mad nobles. To prove his mettle, Ward escapes, along with an oversized dwarf(again, book description) the family ghost and his mute sister and sets off to make a name for himself as a smart man. The first book deals with the history of Hurog(the lords of Hurog are rumored to be descended from dragons, and it's believed that there are treasures hidden there) and Ward establishing himself, while the second book takes care of the loose ends, particularly dealing with the scum!king. Not as good as the Raven duology, but I liked these a lot and they had a few good twists.
I'm also catching up with Bleach. After comments in
telophase's post earlier today, it seems I can't look at Byakkuya without thinking "noodle hair." I've also realized that I'm rather fickle about Byakuya: it seems I either like him or want to punch him in the face depending on the latest opinion I've read or discussion I've had about him. I don't know if this means I have no opinion of him, or if I both love and hate him. But then, I'm kinda fickle about Bleach in general...my favorite is Ichigo, Renji or Ishida...whichever happens to be in front of me at the time.
Also, why is it that Rukia looks normal sized most of the time, but teeny weeny when around Ichigo or Renji. They aren't gisnts. She isn't a midget. Maybe it's their giant swords...