dragon

The Hobbit is the prequel to LotR and reads like a special episode as it has a lot of the same atmosphere, but is relatively scant on details. Recommended reading if you liked Tolkien's opus magnum.

While this 1981 prequel to The Silence of the Lambs does feature Hannibal Lecter, he plays more of a cameo and is not a central character. This immediately downgrades the novel into one of those run-of-the-mill serial-killer tales, albeit about ten times more macabre. There are also a couple of largish plot holes that are difficult to digest.

On the whole, a disappointment.

While it is the fifth book of the Earthsea cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Other Wind" is more like a direct sequel to "Tehanu", the previous book in the series. Compared to the other books, this one has many more characters and attempts to create "grand" fantasy. IMHO, it fails in this respect. It also loses the key element that underpins this series, its serene atmosphere.

While I found its denouement interesting and fulfilling, I was on the whole quite disappointed with its flow and characters.

Tehanu is the fourth book in the Earthsea cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin. Written almost a couple of decades later when the author was nearing 60, it has a more mature, feminine feel to it. The central character is Tenar (from book 2) who has now grown old, and her relationship with everyone and everything around her. It's a slow-paced but measured read which is for a good portion of the first half, almost like a side-story. Things pick up once Ged makes his entry.

A good read if you like the Earthsea universe. However, it is not standard fantasy fare.