What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Shaed]

Currently reading "The Heroes" by Joe Abercrombie, the 5th book in his "first law" series. Have you read them? 

[Ammanas]

23 minutes ago, Shaed said:

Have you read them? 

Not sure if the"you" was meant for a particular person or not, but I have read everything that Joe Abercrombie has published. He's one of my favorite authors!

[Shaed]

6 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

Not sure if the"you" was meant for a particular person or not, but I have read everything that Joe Abercrombie has published. He's one of my favorite authors!

It was meant for everyone

Glad to hear that, I'm loving this series. Are his non first law books as good as the others? 

[Ammanas]

@Shaed I really like his Half a King trilogy. It is more restrained, less graphic, less bad language, but still has the trademark Abercrombie style and flair. I think they are a lot of fun! 

[Shaed]

4 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

@Shaed I really like his Half a King trilogy. It is more restrained, less graphic, less bad language, but still has the trademark Abercrombie style and flair. I think they are a lot of fun! 

I'll give it a try, thanks!

[Briar King]

Finished Wall of Storms. Great middle and ending of this book which would have been even better had I not gotten the garinaphin spoiler!!! 

Took me 73 days to get to page 375 mark at which point I devoured the rest as fast as I could. 80 days total read time.

Looking forward to bk 3.

[StormingTexan]

56 minutes ago, Briar King said:

Finished Wall of Storms. Great middle and ending of this book which would have been even better had I not gotten the garinaphin spoiler!!! 

Took me 73 days to get to page 375 mark at which point I devoured the rest as fast as I could. 80 days total read time.

Looking forward to bk 3.

I've have these books on my list to check out. I had to look up what "silkpunk" is but it does intrigue me. 

I'm about half way through the last book of the Unhewn Thrown trilogy. This one has been much more difficult to get through than the first two books. 

One thing that just seemed odd

Spoiler

Is the S&M sex. Like I'm not a prude but this just seemed like it came out of nowhere added nothing and is completely distracting. Other than that the other storylines just seem boring besides Gwenna's. 

 

Edited March 19, 2018 by StormingTexan

[Briar King]

Definitely worth it ST. Bk 1 is just downright amazeballs.

[Steeldancer]

Finished Obsidio, the last book of the Illuminae series. It was fantastic. 

[Ammanas]

3 hours ago, Briar King said:

Finished Wall of Storms. Great middle and ending of this book which would have been even better had I not gotten the garinaphin spoiler!!! 

Took me 73 days to get to page 375 mark at which point I devoured the rest as fast as I could. 80 days total read time.

Looking forward to bk 3.

Sorry B.K I think that was me that spoiled you. In my defense I felt that I needed to give you something to look forward to because you were feeling very frustrated with the beginning of the book. I told you things really picked up in book 3 of Wall of Storms!

Edited March 20, 2018 by Ammanas

[Briar King]

Not sure if I’m committed to it yet or not but I pulled out Fitz 1 by Hobb and have reread up to ch 3. Fitz 7-9 ought to all be out in pb soon but I need to reread 1-6.

[Draginon]

Finished reading The Alloy of Law last night. Was hoping to finish over spring break but other things got in the way of that. Anyway my thoughts: Finally a western I liked! I don't really get the appeal of western stories but this is probably one of the few western-esque stories I liked. Wax, Wayne and Marasi were fantastic to read (not including Steris on account of her barely appearing) but Miles' sections were a drag for me to read for some reason making him the first character I didn't want to actually read about from a Sanderson book (not saying he isn't interesting, there was just something that didn't click for me when he was the POV character) Can't wait to read the sequels and see what else happens with this crew but first I've got some chalklings to deal with.

Next up The Rithmatist

[StormingTexan]

1 hour ago, Draginon said:

Finished reading The Alloy of Law last night. Was hoping to finish over spring break but other things got in the way of that. Anyway my thoughts: Finally a western I liked! I don't really get the appeal of western stories but this is probably one of the few western-esque stories I liked.

You are not alone! In fact I almost didn't read AoL because I have never been able to get in to the Western/Steam Punk setting. It is why I couldn't get in to Dark Tower.  Now the MB Era 2 books are one of my favorites especially BoM and cant wait until the last one is out. 

[Niteshado]

56 minutes ago, StormingTexan said:

You are not alone! In fact I almost didn't read AoL because I have never been able to get in to the Western/Steam Punk setting. It is why I couldn't get in to Dark Tower.  Now the MB Era 2 books are one of my favorites especially BoM and cant wait until the last one is out. 

I actually put the book down. I finished Era 1 and jumped straight into AoL, and got past the prologue and stopped. Disliked it enough i didnt want to read it, moved to warbreaker. 

Came back to read AoL and couldnt put it down. 

[Dunkum]

1 hour ago, StormingTexan said:

You are not alone! In fact I almost didn't read AoL because I have never been able to get in to the Western/Steam Punk setting. It is why I couldn't get in to Dark Tower.  Now the MB Era 2 books are one of my favorites especially BoM and cant wait until the last one is out. 

to be fair, it isn't quite either of those things.  there are western elements, but mostly in flashbacks.  the present day stuff happens in what is roughly an analog of New York City; though admittedly wax and wyanes characters are influenced by western elements. and there isn't really an excess of steam powered gadgets and the like that would normally characterize steampunk.  its just a fantasy book in a setting roughly equivalent to turn of the century new york city or maybe chicago.

[StormingTexan]

14 minutes ago, Dunkum said:

to be fair, it isn't quite either of those things.  there are western elements, but mostly in flashbacks.  the present day stuff happens in what is roughly an analog of New York City; though admittedly wax and wyanes characters are influenced by western elements. and there isn't really an excess of steam powered gadgets and the like that would normally characterize steampunk.  its just a fantasy book in a setting roughly equivalent to turn of the century new york city or maybe chicago.

Thats true but this was my opinion going in to the book not after I read it. Looking at the cover I thought it was steam punk then reading the prologue just as @Niteshado said it seems like a western. I read this before I ever found this site and had just finished the original trilogy which was the first books of Brandon I read. Only reason I even remotely kept reading was because of how much I loved MB Era1. By the end of the book absolutely loved it. 

[Draginon]

@StormingTexan I've actually read Dark Tower and it's in such a weird category since it doesn't occupy one genre since it's more western in the first book but in the rest the only thing western is Roland himself. It's also more 'realistic' in terms of fantasy, it's King what do you expect here?, but mostly it's a nexus connecting everything King has ever written so I'm still not sure what genre to use.

@Dunkum Well the way the Roughs are described screams John Wayne and when it moves to Elendel, and I got the New York vibe from the description as well, you still have shoot outs, a train robbery, bandits (don't tell me Miles wearing that mask during the wedding didn't make you think of the western villain wearing a kerchief over his face), the calvary coming to save the day, the execution and other little details that seemed to suggest old west but in the city, so more likely it's meant to be more like Kansas City or Minneapolis in terms of geography. In a way you could consider this a "sheriff getting tired of the banditry in the wilds moves back to 'the city' and becomes constable of the place" story. Also the whole New York buildup of skyscrapers happened during the old west period so I'm thinking that's the period Brandon was going for and I kept imagining the technology and fashion in terms of that period as well.

[StormingTexan]

13 minutes ago, Draginon said:

 I've actually read Dark Tower and it's in such a weird category since it doesn't occupy one genre since it's more western in the first book but in the rest the only thing western is Roland himself. It's also more 'realistic' in terms of fantasy, it's King what do you expect here?, but mostly it's a nexus connecting everything King has ever written so I'm still not sure what genre to use.

I read the first book and at the end was kind of like what the heck did I just read. That is not necessarily a bad thing I felt that even more so with Annihilation and other books but pair that with a setting I just don't really care for much and I just wasn't compelled to keep reading. I have heard really good things about the series as a whole. Maybe some day. 

[Dunkum]

6 hours ago, StormingTexan said:

Thats true but this was my opinion going in to the book not after I read it. Looking at the cover I thought it was steam punk then reading the prologue just as @Niteshado said it seems like a western. I read this before I ever found this site and had just finished the original trilogy which was the first books of Brandon I read. Only reason I even remotely kept reading was because of how much I loved MB Era1. By the end of the book absolutely loved it. 

Definitely fair.  I have a friend who had the same issues.  Not sure if he ever actually got around to picking it up, but I know he was turned off by the steampunk look of the cover

3 hours ago, Draginon said:

@Dunkum Well the way the Roughs are described screams John Wayne and when it moves to Elendel, and I got the New York vibe from the description as well, you still have shoot outs, a train robbery, bandits (don't tell me Miles wearing that mask during the wedding didn't make you think of the western villain wearing a kerchief over his face), the calvary coming to save the day, the execution and other little details that seemed to suggest old west but in the city, so more likely it's meant to be more like Kansas City or Minneapolis in terms of geography. In a way you could consider this a "sheriff getting tired of the banditry in the wilds moves back to 'the city' and becomes constable of the place" story. Also the whole New York buildup of skyscrapers happened during the old west period so I'm thinking that's the period Brandon was going for and I kept imagining the technology and fashion in terms of that period as well.

Its a bit tough to get an exact analog since there really is only the one major city.  Elendel strikes me as being very much like NYC or Chicago, but it is also the center of power, so there is a bit of a DC vibe there.  I agree that the Western elements are strong in the Roughs, and do make their way into the Elendel scenes.  In fact, thinking on it further, I think the Western elements fade a bit in the later books, and that might be influencing me here.  I think the series as a whole edges more towards a detective story, ala Sherlock Holmes, than a Western, and it is hard for me to separate out any individual book from that impression, so Alloy may be more like a Western than I am remembering

[Draginon]

6 hours ago, StormingTexan said:

I read the first book and at the end was kind of like what the heck did I just read. That is not necessarily a bad thing I felt that even more so with Annihilation and other books but pair that with a setting I just don't really care for much and I just wasn't compelled to keep reading. I have heard really good things about the series as a whole. Maybe some day. 

Did you read the original or the revised version? The revised one has elements King didn't think of when he originally wrote it to bring it more in line with the final 3 books so that the series wasn't as disjointed. The later books get much better especially with the setting problem, the second has Roland meeting his companions by way of doors going to different iterations of New York while he's traveling down a beach, the third starts in a forest before moving to a wasteland similar in appearance to the Midwest followed by a grand city, the fourth is mainly a flashback story with the present time scenes being in Topeka from The Stand's universe and, strangely, the Emerald City. The fifth thru seventh books change locations constantly from being in strange places close to the Tower itself, New York and even Bangor. A lot of the stuff makes sense if you've read most of his other books like Father Callahan from Salems Lot being a major character in the final three and this kid from one of his 90's books also is a huge help in the last two. You could think of the two examples similar to the connections of the Cosmere but it's not "oh I recognize you!" and more "this is a sequel/continuation!?" It also doesn't help that some concepts don't get properly explained unless you read the story he first introduced it in, not quite like how Sanderson will have the magic systems cross over but more "I have to read some random short story to understand what's happening!?"

Yeah, King's stuff is special and requires more commitment than Sanderson does.

[Briar King]

Dark Tower 4 is one of the best books ever. The one with the kid is Insomnia and also an outstanding book. Talisman and Black House are ace. The Stand is great. IT is phenomenal. Eyes of the Dragon is fun. All DT connected and all preaccident (Black House may have been after but I don’t think so) which is when he was at his best imo. DT 5-7 lost steam and I don’t think a lot of the things would have been in them had he not been almost killed.

have still not read Rose Madder or Salem’s Lot.

[Scyora]

Shame on me.
Still reading (or rather "listening to") Oathbringer. Since the end of january. 
In the meantime I read "Das Lied der Dunkelheit" (The Warded/Painted Man in German).

[StormingTexan]

Alright so I might just give The Dark Tower series a shor again I’ve been looking for something new to start. I found this expanded reading order what do you guys think? Looks like this could keep me busy for a while.

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
“The Little Sisters of Eluria”
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
‘Salem’s Lot
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
“Everything’s Eventual”
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
Black House
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

[AngelEy3]

18 minutes ago, StormingTexan said:

Alright so I might just give The Dark Tower series a shor again I’ve been looking for something new to start. I found this expanded reading order what do you guys think? Looks like this could keep me busy for a while.

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
“The Little Sisters of Eluria”
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
‘Salem’s Lot
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
“Everything’s Eventual”
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
Black House
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

I've only been as far as DT #3 way back in the early 00s. I didn't stop cause it was bad though, just got caught up in other things like school and work and marriage. 

One thing I can say for sure about your list is that having already read The Stand, and Eyes of the Dragon will be a huge boost to DT. I discovered the links between them on accident in the school library after I started The Gunslinger. It was a pretty sweet discovery for me at that time that certain characters, whom I had already met, were crossing over from other stories.  

Definitely read The Stand before Eyes of the Dragon. Iirc, it felt like a prequel of sorts. Not a true one, but more like you can tell it's the same universe. 

[Briar King]

3 hours ago, StormingTexan said:

Alright so I might just give The Dark Tower series a shor again I’ve been looking for something new to start. I found this expanded reading order what do you guys think? Looks like this could keep me busy for a while.

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
“The Little Sisters of Eluria”
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
‘Salem’s Lot
Hearts in Atlantis
Insomnia
“Everything’s Eventual”
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
Black House
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

I’d throw in Talisman in the 3rd spot. You don’t want to read Blackhouse without having read it 1st.