Weight of Stone: Book Two of the Vineart War
Written by Laura Anne Gilman
Narrated by Anne Flosnik
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Laura Anne Gilman
Laura Anne Gilman is the author of the Locus bestsellers Silver on the Road and The Cold Eye, the popular Cosa Nostradamus books (the Retrievers and Paranormal Scene Investigations urban fantasy series), and the Nebula Award–nominated The Vineart War trilogy. Her first story collection is Dragon Virus, and she continues to write and sell short fiction in a variety of genres. Follow her at @LAGilman or LauraAnneGilman.net.
More audiobooks from Laura Anne Gilman
The Huntsmen
Related to Weight of Stone
Titles in the series (2)
Flesh and Fire: Book One of the Vineart War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weight of Stone: Book Two of the Vineart War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related audiobooks
Flesh and Fire: Book One of the Vineart War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rainbow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Firelight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilas Marner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlowers for the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Unabridged Version) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The History of Rasselas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Defiles Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fisherman's Testament Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Australia Felix Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greener Shore: A Novel of the Druids of Hibernia Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Piers Plowman: The Vision of a People's Christ Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sir Nigel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Deathstalker Legacy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Shortness of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mayor of Casterbridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beowulf Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Holy Road Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beowulf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come the Morning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shaking Earth [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rivalries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThunder Moon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEdge of Oblivion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Desert and the Blade Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
General Fiction For You
Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Three-Body Problem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Two Towers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Norse Mythology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Neverwhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dutch House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Weight of Stone
30 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5In Weight of Stone: Book Two of the Vineart War, Laura Anne Gilman continues her Vineart War cycle with the adventures of Jerzy, Mahault, and Ao after they flee the danger at the court of Aleppan. Pursued by the Washers and fearful of the spreading taint, afraid to go ashore and afraid to stay at sea in their ill-supplied and small vessel, they are unsure what to do... and unfortunately it seems the author isn't so sure what to do with them either!I know Gilman is developing a lot of things that will be important in later books, such as the culture of the Washers, the details of the religion, the motivations of the villains, the civilizations beyond the Lands Vin — but good world-building must always be incidental to the plot. And in this installment, the plot meanders all over the place. They leave the Berengia; they come back. They leave; they come back. Mahault goes away to join an elite female fighting force, the Solitaires, and then quits and comes back. This is pretty frustrating, especially in an audiobook where the pace of the story is already slower than if one is reading the printed book. I found myself becoming bored before it was halfway done.And I've noticed Gilman's tendency to tell rather than show, to spell things out rather than rely on carefully layered prose and the reader's own intelligence to figure out the characters' motivations. Consider these examples I jotted down:"'I'm sure the locals are completely honest,' he [Ao] went on, in the tone of voice that suggested that he believed anything but."Good writing would not spell out Ao's tone of voice so obviously; instead, why not have him say that line with a roll of the eyes or some other indication that he's being sarcastic? That would be so much better than ponderously spelling it."Kainam did not take a step backwards, but he obviously wanted to." You shouldn't have to tell the reader that Kainam wanted to step backwards; you should show it by his body language. Sometimes the tedious explanations of every character's thoughts and motives feel almost insulting, as if Gilman doesn't trust her readers to figure things out if she doesn't make it obvious. I noticed some issues with the writing in the first book, Flesh And Fire, but it didn't seem as blatant then as it does in this novel. And sadly, all this makes for a rather unstimulating read.This unabridged 13-hour audiobook is read by Anne Flosnik (whose narration I am starting to have more of a taste for, I think) and is published by Tantor Media, 2010. I'm not sure I will be finishing the series; if the third book is like this one, there's little to miss. But fans who are deeply invested in the fate of Jerzy and the Lands Vin will no doubt be more forgiving in their estimation.Thank you to SFSite.com for the opportunity to review this audiobook.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5In Weight of Stone: Book Two of the Vineart War, Laura Anne Gilman continues her Vineart War cycle with the adventures of Jerzy, Mahault, and Ao after they flee the danger at the court of Aleppan. Pursued by the Washers and fearful of the spreading taint, afraid to go ashore and afraid to stay at sea in their ill-supplied and small vessel, they are unsure what to do... and unfortunately it seems the author isn't so sure what to do with them either!I know Gilman is developing a lot of things that will be important in later books, such as the culture of the Washers, the details of the religion, the motivations of the villains, the civilizations beyond the Lands Vin — but good world-building must always be incidental to the plot. And in this installment, the plot meanders all over the place. They leave the Berengia; they come back. They leave; they come back. Mahault goes away to join an elite female fighting force, the Solitaires, and then quits and comes back. This is pretty frustrating, especially in an audiobook where the pace of the story is already slower than if one is reading the printed book. I found myself becoming bored before it was halfway done.And I've noticed Gilman's tendency to tell rather than show, to spell things out rather than rely on carefully layered prose and the reader's own intelligence to figure out the characters' motivations. Consider these examples I jotted down:"'I'm sure the locals are completely honest,' he [Ao] went on, in the tone of voice that suggested that he believed anything but."Good writing would not spell out Ao's tone of voice so obviously; instead, why not have him say that line with a roll of the eyes or some other indication that he's being sarcastic? That would be so much better than ponderously spelling it."Kainam did not take a step backwards, but he obviously wanted to." You shouldn't have to tell the reader that Kainam wanted to step backwards; you should show it by his body language. Sometimes the tedious explanations of every character's thoughts and motives feel almost insulting, as if Gilman doesn't trust her readers to figure things out if she doesn't make it obvious. I noticed some issues with the writing in the first book, Flesh And Fire, but it didn't seem as blatant then as it does in this novel. And sadly, all this makes for a rather unstimulating read.This unabridged 13-hour audiobook is read by Anne Flosnik (whose narration I am starting to have more of a taste for, I think) and is published by Tantor Media, 2010. I'm not sure I will be finishing the series; if the third book is like this one, there's little to miss. But fans who are deeply invested in the fate of Jerzy and the Lands Vin will no doubt be more forgiving in their estimation.Thank you to SFSite.com for the opportunity to review this audiobook.