What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Dunkum]

I really loved this one but I'm in a very huge minority with that feeling.

I don't remember crown of swords, specifically, but I do remember being the only person who didn't seem to mind Crossroads of Twilight. 

[Briar King]

You and Terez are the only 2 I've ever heard this from. I thought it and bk 8 were oh so painful to slog through.

[AliasSheep]

I just finished The Gathering Storm, and Harmony, I don't think a book has ever made me want to cry from happiness before. I paused for a toilet break in the middle of a rather memorable encounter at the end of the book and I was so angry with Rand. And then I got back. And I read the rest of the book. And it was wonderful and beautiful and I can't put into words how much I love it. It's official, I'm hooked on the Wheel of Time again.

[Dunkum]

You and Terez are the only 2 I've ever heard this from. I thought it and bk 8 were oh so painful to slog through.

in my case, I think there are 2 things going on: 1. I don't mind the meandering plot so long as I get to spend time with characters I like.  so checkins with Mat and Perrin, and probably Egwene by that point (its been a while, and I was never very good at remembering what happens in which book, just a general timeline), and some of the others to a lesser extent make me happy.  2. crossroads was the first one I had to wait for.  the ibrary had 1-9, but 10 hadn't come out yet, so by the time it did, I was just happy to have it

[Kaymyth]

Just started on book 3 of the Cassie Scot series by Christine Amsden.  Small press; you won't find these anyplace but Amazon.

 

I'm enjoying them, but well, the author is a friend of mine so I have a positive bias working here.

 

After these, I'll start on a couple books that I picked up at ConQuesT by another local author.

[Orlion Blight]

Reading The Weird A compendium of strange and dark stories (110 stories of dark weirdness, from Kafka, Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman and so on and so on), Songs of a dead dreamer/Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti (A fantastic collection of horror shorts), American Gods and The Furies of Calderon.

Orlion you should look into the first two if you haven't already. Especially Ligotti.

I have been considering reading the Thomas Ligotti book for a couple weeks. And since you've read Perdido Street Station, I can regard your recommendation highly

[Sunbird]

Finished Janitors. Highly entertaining. Next up: John Cleaver #5, Over Your Dead Body. Super excited for this one!!

[azninvasion99]

heh, I like him well enough, but yea, I don't really get it either. i'd add that he has a couple of quirks that kind of annoy me, like telling a series of events from one perspective, then cutting away at the end with a vague cliffhanger only to retell a part of them from a different perspective. there are at least 3 or 4 examples from the sarantine mosaic that I can think of offhand. it'd be fine if he only did it sparingly, but it happens so frequently it gets old.

I feel like he did it more sparingly in Al-Rassan as a whole, outside of the big one in the ending. But Mosaic definitely uses it more and it got pretty old by the 2nd book.

[Zathoth]

I have been considering reading the Thomas Ligotti book for a couple weeks. And since you've read Perdido Street Station, I can regard your recommendation highly

Well, I havent actually finished it yet, I took a break to read some other things I wanted to read, but I will pick it up again, as soon as I am done with either American Gods or The Furies of Calderon.

 

I have excellent taste though, so you can trust me.

[Orlion Blight]

Well, I havent actually finished it yet, I took a break to read some other things I wanted to read, but I will pick it up again, as soon as I am done with either American Gods or The Furies of Calderon.

 

I have excellent taste though, so you can trust me.

Gasp!

[DSC01]

Following up with Dunkum and Briar King and everyone, I like A Crown of Swords just fine; although, I do agree that things do slow down a bit. It's hard for me to separate which book is which, though. I never read The Wheel of Time until the whole thing was out, and I then read it straight through. I reread twice, and I did the same things both times. On this, my fourth read, I am probably going to do the same thing.

 

To me, every time I read it, the annoying parts get less annoying. I'll think, Aw, man! I don't want to read 100 pages about Egwene having headaches and being disrespected by the other Aes Sedai! But then I get into the section, and it's a lot more interesting than I remember. I remembered the beginning of A Crown of Swords backtracking and spending a long, boring time dwelling on the Shaido's perspective of Dumai's Wells. But when I read it again--lo and behold--it's not that much time, and it's actually pretty interesting. 

 

I was inspired to do this reread by the news that an adaptation may be forthcoming, so I have been paying particular attention to how things might be adapted to television this time. The infamous rambling descriptions of settings and clothing (which are nowhere near as bad as most people claim, in my opinion) would just provide great source material for designers. A lot of the narrative can't be directly adapted--not in a visual medium (or not easily)--because the basis of it is the POV character's thoughts and opinions. Maybe that is informing my patience with the book, as I imagine a lengthy passage on a character's opinion being communicated by an incensed glare or translated into one line of dialogue.

 

Speaking of translating characters' thoughts into dialogue, they have to find a way to have Nynaeve actually speak this thought--about Uno and his Shienarans encountering Galad--from The Fires of Heaven: "Men always seemed to think violence could solve anything. If she had had a stout stick, she would have thumped all three of them about the shoulders until they saw reason."

[Patar]

Just started reading Sandman by Neil Gaiman. 

[Dunkum]

I feel like he did it more sparingly in Al-Rassan as a whole, outside of the big one in the ending. But Mosaic definitely uses it more and it got pretty old by the 2nd book.

off the top of my head, there is at least one other section in Al-Rassan where he does it.  it might be that he is more sparing otherwise, but I think I started noticing it more and more the more of his books I read.  I read Tigana first, then the Fionavar books, then Last Light of the Sun, then Al-Rassan, then Sarantine, and I definitely noticed more in the last 2 than anywhere else, but that could just be because I was more keyed in to recognizing it.

[Patar]

I also just got the Graphic Novel of At the Mountains of Madness. Does the graphic novel version do justice to the original? I haven't read that one.

[Sunbird]

Finished Over Your Dead Body today. There were plenty of funny moments throughout the story, but the ending made me sad and very anxious for John Cleaver #6.

 

About 60% done with The Geomancer, another of Clay and Susan Griffith's books that is basically a continuation of the story told in their Vampire Empire trilogy. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

[maxal]

Following up with Dunkum and Briar King and everyone, I like A Crown of Swords just fine; although, I do agree that things do slow down a bit. It's hard for me to separate which book is which, though. I never read The Wheel of Time until the whole thing was out, and I then read it straight through. I reread twice, and I did the same things both times. On this, my fourth read, I am probably going to do the same thing.

 

To me, every time I read it, the annoying parts get less annoying. I'll think, Aw, man! I don't want to read 100 pages about Egwene having headaches and being disrespected by the other Aes Sedai! But then I get into the section, and it's a lot more interesting than I remember. I remembered the beginning of A Crown of Swords backtracking and spending a long, boring time dwelling on the Shaido's perspective of Dumai's Wells. But when I read it again--lo and behold--it's not that much time, and it's actually pretty interesting. 

 

I was inspired to do this reread by the news that an adaptation may be forthcoming, so I have been paying particular attention to how things might be adapted to television this time. The infamous rambling descriptions of settings and clothing (which are nowhere near as bad as most people claim, in my opinion) would just provide great source material for designers. A lot of the narrative can't be directly adapted--not in a visual medium (or not easily)--because the basis of it is the POV character's thoughts and opinions. Maybe that is informing my patience with the book, as I imagine a lengthy passage on a character's opinion being communicated by an incensed glare or translated into one line of dialogue.

 

Speaking of translating characters' thoughts into dialogue, they have to find a way to have Nynaeve actually speak this thought--about Uno and his Shienarans encountering Galad--from The Fires of Heaven: "Men always seemed to think violence could solve anything. If she had had a stout stick, she would have thumped all three of them about the shoulders until they saw reason."

 

I started reading WoT right after the release of Winter Hearts. By the time I made to Winter Hearts, Crossroads of Twilight had been released. I never thought the story was going too slow or any books were boring... At some point, the plot starts to spend less time with Rand and more with everyone else which was just fine by me as quite frankly, I couldn't stand Rand pass book 6. After I had caught up with the books, I was just happy each time a book got released. Sure the gap was long for the Gathering Storm, but since the author kinda died, I was fine with it 

 

I recall, at the time, a lot of complains were being issued for Crossroads of Twilight and Path of Daggers, the middle books: the fans complained how they had to wait several years for that. I... I never understood. Even to this day, I still do not understand. The release pace of WoT was very fast: one book every two years. People keep on saying how SA has a fast released pace, but it takes up twice as long for Brandon to release on SA book then it took Jordan 

 

So perhaps it was two years truly was long back in the day and waiting for the middle books has been grating. It worries me for SA as the release pace is so slow I fear the same phenomenon might happen. People have been waiting for 4 years to get the book, they had 4 years to ramp up their expectations, but it doesn't deliver up to them. 

 

All in all, both my and your reading experience of WoT seem to give credence to readers who prefer for series to be completed or near to complete before reading them. SA and GoT are the two long term unfinished series I am currently reading. I have lost most of my interest for GoT: I will gladly read the book when it comes out (if it comes out), but I will not engage in speculation or anything. I do not care so much how it will end anymore. For SA, I am starting to think the release pace is just way too slow to keep the interest high, already all discussions are dying before their just isn't anything left to discuss. No new material for a year and half, so huh, the WoT syndrome is at high risk of happening here.

 

I have talked to my colleagues of the up-coming adaptation of WoT: nobody knew what I was talking about   I tried to explain them the world and everything, the Breaking, the One Power: I was met by a group of puzzled eyes... They HAVE to make a high quality show: this will be a much greater test than GoT. The story has so much potential for the screen. As for adapting characters thoughts to the screen, I'd say scenarists are used to it: they basically have to do it each time they pick up written work for the screen. I have faith they can make a cohesive whole.

[Dunkum]

I started reading WoT right after the release of Winter Hearts. By the time I made to Winter Hearts, Crossroads of Twilight had been released. I never thought the story was going too slow or any books were boring... At some point, the plot starts to spend less time with Rand and more with everyone else which was just fine by me as quite frankly, I couldn't stand Rand pass book 6.

I'll give you an upvote just for this.  Rand is intolerable basically from book 6 til about book 12 or 13 for me, but it starts going downhill back in book 2 or 3.  fortunately there are a bunch of other characters, some of whom I love (Mat, Perrin, Thom) and some of whom are at least somewhat interesting (Min and Avhienda are fun, Nynaeve moves between interesting and annoying, same with Elayne, Egwene starts off annoying, but I love her by the end of the series)

 

and for the SA release schedule: if you are just reading SA, then that would get annoying.  if, like me, you are in for all of the Cosmere books, then it is a lot more tolerable, with one or two a year it seems, if you are into all of Brandon's stuff then it must be even nicer, you can bide your time between SA books with like half a dozen other works.

[maxal]

I'll give you an upvote just for this.  Rand is intolerable basically from book 6 til about book 12 or 13 for me, but it starts going downhill back in book 2 or 3.  fortunately there are a bunch of other characters, some of whom I love (Mat, Perrin, Thom) and some of whom are at least somewhat interesting (Min and Avhienda are fun, Nynaeve moves between interesting and annoying, same with Elayne, Egwene starts off annoying, but I love her by the end of the series)

 

I think with Rand here, Jordan illustrated what NOT to write in a character... His behavior is understandable. He never asked to be the Chosen One, he never wanted to be the Dragon, but at 18 years of age, he was told he had to save the world by using a forbidden power which would drive him crazy and make him kill those he loves. Everyone fears him for what he is and to boot it all, he has started having memories of his previous incarnation, memories which sound quite mad indeed.

 

The poor guy's behavior is understandable: that he would struggle with killing women is understandable, that he would think he needs to be hard also is understandable. 

 

This wasn't the problem with the character. The problem was he literally had no growth in between book 6 and book 12. He was static, worst he was descending towards madness more and more. It got grating. It is fine to have your main protagonist having an issue, problems, difficulties, but he needs to move pass them, at some point. In the case of Rand, it just took too long for it to happen and those bouts weren't written in any way helping make the character more sympathetic. I dunno what Brandon did, but he managed to make him likable again and I hope this middle books will serve as a lesson on "what not to do with a character".

 

Do not give him issues he can never solve. Make him evolve, grow, even is slowly, but do not write him as static. This was the mistake, I believe, Jordan did with Rand. He made him static.

 

 

and for the SA release schedule: if you are just reading SA, then that would get annoying.  if, like me, you are in for all of the Cosmere books, then it is a lot more tolerable, with one or two a year it seems, if you are into all of Brandon's stuff then it must be even nicer, you can bide your time between SA books with like half a dozen other works.

 

Having an additional Cosmere book does little to help tide in until SA3's release. It absolutely does not advance any of the story arcs of SA. Mistborn is fun and all, but it has nothing to do with SA. WoR ended up with massive cliffhangers and won't know where they are heading until another 2 years, less if we are lucky. That's quite a long time to wait. In between now and then, expectations ramp up and we all saw what it yielded into for GoT and WoT.

 

The only way to bide the remaining of the time would be if Brandon were to release more preview chapters.

Edited June 11, 2016 by maxal

[Eki]

This wasn't the problem with the character. The problem was he literally had no growth in between book 6 and book 12. He was static, worst he was descending towards madness more and more. It got grating. It is fine to have your main protagonist having an issue, problems, difficulties, but he needs to move pass them, at some point. In the case of Rand, it just took too long for it to happen and those bouts weren't written in any way helping make the character more sympathetic. I dunno what Brandon did, but he managed to make him likable again and I hope this middle books will serve as a lesson on "what not to do with a character".

Well, the Dragonmount scene was what made Rand change again. That was planned (and I think written) by Jordan. Rand being the way he is towards the later books (after his 'snap' especially, I forget which book that's in) is what drives many of the plot points in those books, so I'm not sure I agree that having Rand be unlikable and getting worse (not necessarily static, although I get where you're coming from) is a bad thing. That's why much of the focus is on other characters.

I'm reading The Left Hand of Darkness, and I like it! It's going slow though, not sure why. It might just be that for this book, I've mainly read when I'm really tired, so I can't really get pulled in that far before I have to put the book down and go to sleep.

[AliasSheep]

I think with Rand here, Jordan illustrated what NOT to write in a character... His behavior is understandable. He never asked to be the Chosen One, he never wanted to be the Dragon, but at 18 years of age, he was told he had to save the world by using a forbidden power which would drive him crazy and make him kill those he loves. Everyone fears him for what he is and to boot it all, he has started having memories of his previous incarnation, memories which sound quite mad indeed.

The poor guy's behavior is understandable: that he would struggle with killing women is understandable, that he would think he needs to be hard also is understandable.

This wasn't the problem with the character. The problem was he literally had no growth in between book 6 and book 12. He was static, worst he was descending towards madness more and more. It got grating. It is fine to have your main protagonist having an issue, problems, difficulties, but he needs to move pass them, at some point. In the case of Rand, it just took too long for it to happen and those bouts weren't written in any way helping make the character more sympathetic. I dunno what Brandon did, but he managed to make him likable again and I hope this middle books will serve as a lesson on "what not to do with a character".

Do not give him issues he can never solve. Make him evolve, grow, even is slowly, but do not write him as static. This was the mistake, I believe, Jordan did with Rand. He made him static.

Having an additional Cosmere book does little to help tide in until SA3's release. It absolutely does not advance any of the story arcs of SA. Mistborn is fun and all, but it has nothing to do with SA. WoR ended up with massive cliffhangers and won't know where they are heading until another 2 years, less if we are lucky. That's quite a long time to wait. In between now and then, expectations ramp up and we all saw what it yielded into for GoT and WoT.

The only way to bide the remaining of the time would be if Brandon were to release more preview chapters.

Isn't SA3 looking at an early 2017 release?

[Eki]

Isn't SA3 looking at an early 2017 release?

Fall 2017, I believe

[Orlion Blight]

SA3 release date is anyone's guess. The only thing "for certain" is that it will be in 2017. And until the first draft is complete, even that is not guaranteed.

[Eki]

SA3 release date is anyone's guess. The only thing "for certain" is that it will be in 2017. And until the first draft is complete, even that is not guaranteed.

Brandon did say fall 2017. Of course, anything could happen.

[maxal]

Well, the Dragonmount scene was what made Rand change again. That was planned (and I think written) by Jordan. Rand being the way he is towards the later books (after his 'snap' especially, I forget which book that's in) is what drives many of the plot points in those books, so I'm not sure I agree that having Rand be unlikable and getting worse (not necessarily static, although I get where you're coming from) is a bad thing. That's why much of the focus is on other characters.

I'm reading The Left Hand of Darkness, and I like it! It's going slow though, not sure why. It might just be that for this book, I've mainly read when I'm really tired, so I can't really get pulled in that far before I have to put the book down and go to sleep.

 

I agree about the Dragonmount scene, but it was late in the coming. In between book 6 and book 12, Rand was a painful to read character: many readers shared the sentient. This being said, Jordan was smart about it, so he focused more on the other characters. It made the strength of the series, the fact the main protagonists could rotate from one book to another: it truly gave an epic sense to the story. Had it focused only on Rand, it wouldn't have been as interesting, IMHO.

 

 

Isn't SA3 looking at an early 2017 release?

 

Nah it is Fall 2017, but that is if Brandon can finish the first draft before the end of the summer. He is at 52% and it took him a whole year to get there, so Fall 2017 seems a very optimistic date. 2018 seems a safer bet, even if horribly far away.

[Who Sharded?]

So a possible 4 year gap between Stormlight Archive books...not a fan of that possibility and what it could mean for the future of Cosmere novels.