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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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 Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:11 pm
Right. So if you haven't read Laurie R King's Mary Russell series, it is an absolute must. I cannot stop gushing about these books, so I won't get started on that... >>;
But I will summarise:
The plot revolves around Mary Russell, a young woman of the early twentieth century who encounters Holmes in his retirement upon the Sussex downs and strikes up a friendship which progresses into partnership and goes through much adventure and mayhem.
Again, I cannot recommend these books too highly, and I suggest you read them if you have not already, since there Eirwyn and I reference them constantly. xD
They can be found at pretty much any bookstore. Here's the official site: http://www.laurierking.com/mary_russells_world.php
Do check it out and discuss here.
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Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 2:23 pm
New installment has been announced!
http://w02.merchbox.com/~laurierk/?page_id=1149
I am extremely excited. Maybe this will rekindle my obsession enough to make me revive the guild. And it is rumoured that the mysterious Son figures prominently in LoB.
Now I need to reread the entire series before 28 April!
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:42 pm
What's with the clickable bees that just take you to a page with the same bee on it & nothing else?
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:23 pm
xD I know. I was all 'OOH, hidden link!' and expecting something fun. But no. It's just a jpg.
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:35 pm
Surely they intend to do something with that eventually? Why else make them as clickable links?
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:55 am
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 7:19 pm
I don't know...I'm going by what it says on that page. I think later there will be stuff linked to those bees, one per day in a countdown.
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Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:47 am
Ooh, I'll make sure to check back, then!
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:25 am
@_@
So close I can taste it...
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:32 pm
I see they have a load of contests going on now leading up to the release (ending on ACD's birthday)!
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 12:36 pm
I got the new book yesterday, with a 40% off Borders coupon. xd Couldn't have done it without that coupon.
Now I gotta leave it be til after Finals.... gonk
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 3:24 pm
OK, I have read the book.
I don't think it's her best.
--Holmes and Russell spend most of the book separated and almost totally out of contact, so we don't get their usual interactions and badinage.
--Russell doesn't seem to be her usual analytical self. She gathers information, but is not very dispassionate in theorizing with it. Her imagination runs wild a lot, which seems out of character even taking the shakeup in Locked Rooms into account.
--Holmes himself is not excessively dispassionate regarding this case. Not saying why, but I think that aspect was cleared up and any tension or anticipation surrounding it resolved way too early in the book.
--What's with the beehive? Seriously. So much focus was put on it....
--Loose ends...MAJOR ones...left hanging at the end because....
--IT'S A CLIFFHANGER!! gonk scream crying
It's way better than Justice Hall, but still a bit of a letdown to me, not least because I may have to wait another year now to see the end of this story!
(OH--and by page 4 they've already confirmed the possibly-fictional events from The Art of Detection as truth. Not mad about that, as to me Holmes is not acting much like himself is that story.)
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Posted: Sun May 24, 2009 3:43 pm
So it took me far longer than I had anticipated to finish the book. Actually, it took me longer than anticipated for me to start on it, thanks to a whole slew of stuff going on simultaneously.
But now, I can sympathise.
No, it was not her best. I think she reached her peak with O, Jerusalem, and has been steadily tapering off since then.
No, there was not nearly enough Holmes time, and not nearly enough clever banter and scathing wit when he does make appearances. I did like the heavy role of Mycroft, though, and I found it interesting to contrast him with his brother.
No, Russell was not particularly in character. She almost strikes me as normal, which is a bit disturbing and left me a tad dissatisfied. Her constant self-doubt also struck me as flagrantly Sue-ish, ESPECIALLY since her suspicions were entirely justified in the end.
Personally, I sort of liked seeing Holmes in a rage/angsting. It was amusing, and sufficiently toned-down to be at least mostly in character. It could have stood a bit less of that, though, and a bit more brain.
Seriously. Beehive. NO SIGNIFICANCE. AT ALL. Too much attention on it.
And I have to object to cliffhangers as a matter of principle.
The cultist aspect was a bit off-putting, also. Really, that's horrendously overdone, and there wasn't the original spin on it that I expected.
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 12:14 pm
Yeah, I kept waiting for the Unexpected Twist--and never got it.
This book was about the same caliber as Art of Detection, except more readable since I didn't have to wade through the Kate Martinelli parts. I just don't care about reading modern-day mysteries, and I feel like that book was just an attempt to drag her Holmes/Russell fandom over to that of her original character.
Another thing--what was with that airplane trip?
It was full of so many delays, I can't help but imagine an overnight train to Scotland would beat it there hands down!
It was just another of those "throw Holmes &/or Russell onto a mode of transportation that causes them enormous alarm" contrivances, to increase the lacking tension in the last half of the book.
If she just hadn't resolved things so quickly with Damien, and left doubt through to near the end, I would have enjoyed this a lot more.
I'm afraid Laurie King may be getting tired of this series, or running out of ideas. crying
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Planck`s_Constant Captain
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 5:10 pm
I'd had the same thoughts. Maybe she's just hit a dry spot for the time being. Those happen, even with deadlines looming...
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