What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Emeralis00 she/her]

not reading it yet, but I am planning to reread the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Now I need to catch my library open for the measly two hours on Saturday.

[Rayonn]

I'm currently alternating between Malazan Book of the Fallen and the Dresden Files. I'm on Small Favor and Deadhouse Gates.

Malazan: I love the rich worldbuilding, the iconic characters, and the sheer epicness. The ending of Gardens of the Moon felt a little contrived

(it seems like the Galayn is only there to let Anomander Rake show off. Then again, Rake is my favorite character so far, so I didn't really mind.

, but it doesn't really bother me. I guess every book does not have to be good in the same way. I can read Sanderson for the -surprising-but-inevitable- plot twists, and Erikson for sheer diversity and scale. (Hmm... either I really like the word 'sheer' right now or MBotF just begs for it.) The Book of the Fallen feels to me now the way that Star Wars did when I was a kid. It makes me wish I were twelve again and could enjoy playing at fighting Hounds of Shadow as Anomander Rake the same way I used to fight stormtroopers as Luke. Basically, I'm only on the second book of this series and I'm already obsessed.

Dresden Files: Didn't Sanderson say at some point that he envies Jim Butcher's pacing skills? That seemed incredible (coming from the guy who made a thousand-page book feel too short) when I first heard it, but I can see what he was talking about. The action in the books isn't quite nonstop--it lets you breathe just enough to remember why you care about these characters. They're not just action heroes (in the sense of hypercompetent POV characters who don't get enough characterization to count as actual heroes), many of them are deeply good people. Nor does any of the action feel like filler--the plot is alway moving forward.

My favorite things about this series are the moral dilemmas (I don't always agree with Harry's decisions, but I always respect them), the over-the-top-awesome set pieces that somehow make perfect sense in context (death by frozen turkey, zombie Sue), and the stand-up-and-cheer moments (both the action ones and the moral ones). I also like that Butcher _shows_ why breaking the laws of magic (even for good reasons) is so awful--magic requires that the caster not only believe that the thing can happen, but that it _ought_ to happen. So casting a spell specifically to kill someone requires that you convince yourself that their death is fundamentally right. Ugh.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Rayonn

[Joe ST he/him]

Over the weekend I read Prince of Thorns, which was pretty good, once I'd gotten into it. Pretty awesome regarding the post-apocalyptic feudal society. A patient wait for the sequel due out in July XD

I also started The Lies of Locke Lamora, which is shaping up to be awesome

I agree Rayonn, Malazan isn't great at the start, but it gets so darn Epic, oh man it gets Super Epic. XD Dresden Files is also awesome

[CrazyRioter she/her]

Currently reading Summer knight by Jim Butcher, yes I am on a Jim Butcher spree.

[Joe ST he/him]

Spree's are the best, just finished Lamora, There's supposdly going to be seven of them plus seven novellas? GET WRITING LYNCH!

[valkynphyre]

THE NAME OF THE WIND! AGAIN!

[Shivertongue he/him]

Currently reading Summer knight by Jim Butcher, yes I am on a Jim Butcher spree.

Jim Butcher sprees are fun. I went through every book in the Dresden Files last year, reading them all in about a week and a half.

Currently listening to Discount Armageddon, by Seanan McGuire, and listening to Deadline, by Seanan McGuire's alter ego, Myra Grant.

[Nya Ellir she/her]

Currently reading The Sum of All Men by David Farland

[lyssie95 she/her]

I just finished up The Maze Runner by James Dashner and Leviathan by Scott Westerfield, guess I was on a bit of a YA kick.

Now I have *finally* purchased Storm Front and am about a third of the way through it... I like.

[Joe ST he/him]

In the middle of Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds, it's pretty cool so far.

[CrazyRioter she/her]

currently reading Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (taking a break from Jim Butcher).

[Joe ST he/him]

Just finished Speaker for the Dead, after Enders Game. Both awesome stories. Looking forward to Xenocide, which I'll start tonight XD

[guess]

Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Storm of Swords (audio): Read these in 2000. Then it took Martin so long for the 4th book I lost interest. I am now audioing Feat for Crows. Much better than I remember. I remember getting a little bored with the first 2 books, but really liking the 3rd. Storm of Swords is the best of the 3, but the others are good. 2nd season of Game of Thrones in HBO is really annoying me. They changed alot from the books. Some of the stuff they had to shorten (like Harenhal) is fine ,but all the stuff with the prostitutes, Ros, and Rob's love interest (which is not in the books) is lame. Robs love interest has a modern personality. She does not fit in the book version of Game of Thrones. I actually liked the change the series did in Harenhall with Arya and Tywin. They humanized Tywin which was interesting. I am ok with this, alot of the other stuff is lame. Sex in TV/Books is fine if it fits the plot, but it looks like they 'HBOized' the series. People who pay for HBO expect sex scense they can't see on broadcast TV, so they added it. I thought it was boring. I also really don't like how Rob and John are adults in the series. They are more complex and more interesting as 14 and 15 year olds. I can understand it. It is hard to work with kids and women will like the good looking 20 somethings more...

Hunger Games Trilogy: (audio): Like the first, didn't like the 2nd, like the ending to the 3rd. My biggest complaint is about personal taste and it is totally unfair to the author. I just don't like kid or even young adult literature. The whole tone did not seem to fit the context. I did like the ending. I found it fitting and satisfying. I would have liked them better if they were more adult books (with the same kid characters). These are very serious and dark issues and the grammar and tone was too light (yeah I now lots of people die, but there is a tone). However, I doubt the book I would have preferred would be nearly as successful as this. So its a lame criticism.

Blackout by Connie Willis: Interesting. I did get kind of bored with the slow pacing. Very well researched. I like the way she contrasts people in the past through the eyes of modern people. Just a little slow for my taste. Too much of 'I think I changed history and then óh no I didn't'

[Musicspren he/him]

I recently read The Name of the Wind for the first time. It was quite good, although I had the problem that my mind was frequently running a comparison between it and Elantris (first published books) and between it and Final Empire (firsts of trilogies). This means that I kept thinking that it's good, but not Sanderson-level (particularly when Final Empire was in mind). But I suspect that's going to be the way with any non-Sanderson books I read. TNotW struck me as a combination of early TEotW (WoT), early in the Harry Potter series, middle Enders Game (book not series), and perhaps a little of the beginning of FE. I do want to read the rest of the trilogy, although I've not become obsessed, so I'm inclined to wait until the last book comes out (or is at least close) ere I read Wise Man's Fear.

My instinct in general is to spend almost all my reading time rereading Sanderson's Cosmere books. But sometimes I wonder if I should read more authors' books, despite the inevitable mental comparisons. I read this thread and saw many books mentioned, some quite frequently (which I count in their favor). As some background on what I've read: I really like WoT (in fact, it's the only thing that makes me not say Sanderson is the best author in the history of the universe, although I've never reread WoT, so I'm foggy on a lot of details). When I was younger I really liked the Redwall books, and still like them as simple, relatively straightforward stories. Similar with Harry Potter, which has the benefits of being a longer continuous series and of being something that you can talk about it with nearly anyone. The Twilight series was entertaining fluff, and is a good source for a joke on occasion regarding sparkling or the lack thereof. I've read all but the last of the Inheritance Cycle, and I do intend to read the last one (like most people here, I find the series moderate, but I do want to know the ending). I have read Hobbit and LotR, which are both good (although, as with most things, not as good as Sanderson). I've read much more Fantasy than SF, but I have read and liked the Ender and Bean quartets. It's been long enough since I've read them that the details are vague, but I do remember that my favorite would have made me one of the seven.

The next book I read will be Warbreaker (it'll only my first reread of that). I would like to reread Way of Kings, but a friend has my copy at the moment, and I'll only start if I know I can finish before a semester begins. My questions to you are: 1) Should I read something not by Sanderson, and 2) If so, what?

[Aethling he/him]

Definately try some non-Sanderson. Eddings is on a level by himself. The first Mazalan book by Erikson is really good. You might want to consider downshifting a little with a YA series or two. I use them to break up the epics when they start getting drawn out. Fablehaven and Percy Jackson would be great for that. Tolkien is overrated, but should be read by any true fantasy fan. Riyria Revelations by Sullivan is another series good for inter-epic changes.

[Musicspren he/him]

Definately try some non-Sanderson. Eddings is on a level by himself.

Is Eddings on a good level by himself? Or simply a singular level which everyone else was definitely better or worse than? Regarding Eddings, please tell me that the Amazon product description for the Belgariad is inaccurate. Because that description makes it sound like he read LotR, spent a little time on TVTropes, then wrote the plot with the ideas from the two, and I seriously doubt you would be recommending it if that were the case (N.B. I'm not accusing it of being that bad, just wanting confirmation that Ruin wrote that product description).

The first Mazalan book by Erikson is really good.

I've seen a lot of people mention Malazan (and Tor has a re-read of it, which, although I obviously have not read it, speaks well of the substance of a series), so I'm definitely considering that series.

You might want to consider downshifting a little with a YA series or two. I use them to break up the epics when they start getting drawn out.

I do intend to read the Alcatraz books at some point, although I'm kind of waiting for them to be republished and have the expected fifth book.

Fablehaven and Percy Jackson would be great for that.

[...]

Riyria Revelations by Sullivan is another series good for inter-epic changes.

I'll keep those in mind.

Tolkien is overrated, but should be read by any true fantasy fan.

True on both - he's not the best, as he is sometimes called, but it's definitely worth having seen the ideas before they were clichés.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Musicspren

[Shivertongue he/him]

Is Eddings on a good level by himself? Or simply a singular level which everyone else was definitely better or worse than? Regarding Eddings, please tell me that the Amazon product description for the Belgariad is inaccurate. Because that description makes it sound like he read LotR, spent a little time on TVTropes, then wrote the plot with the ideas from the two, and I seriously doubt you would be recommending it if that were the case (N.B. I'm not accusing it of being that bad, just wanting confirmation that Ruin wrote that product description).

To be fair, when Eddings was writing, a lot of those tropes were not tropes - many, in fact, became tropes because of Eddings. I would recommend the Belgariad, a five book series that is a pretty quick read. If you can get through the prologue - which held me off for about a month - then it's a fun read.

I've seen a lot of people mention Malazan (and Tor has a re-read of it, which, although I obviously have not read it, speaks well of the substance of a series), so I'm definitely considering that series.

Malazan is one of those series that I cannot understand the appeal of. Granted, I have only read the first book, but it was incredibly underwhelming and disappointing, I haven't managed to get past page three of the second book. The worldbuilding is fantastic, but the writing and plot overall felt amateurish to me, and the dialogue was near-abysmal most of the time. It took me two years and three attempts to finish the book, and it was a chore.

I'm not trying to discourage you from reading it and deciding for yourself, just giving a differing opinion. It's a series that critics seem to love, so finding negative reviews is difficult. If you look through this thread, I know I've mentioned my dislike for the series before, in much more detail.

[Aethling he/him]

I have only read the first two of the LOtR, but I would not say it was anything like the Belgariad. I put my LOTR aside before I got to the final book, but I have read the Belgariad and Mallorean multiple times each. Some elements from Eddings may have become standard in contemporary fiction, but I think that is because he helped to make them popular. I do adivise to stay away from his Dreamers series unless you don't have anything at all to read. Each individual book is good, but all four books use exactly the same plot. It was the last series he wrote, and he was pretty old by then. Belgariad/Mallorean are great. Elenium/Tamuli is great. IF you start on the Belgariad, it is a full twelve book series though. Bel/Mal each are 5 books, and the two prequels add much to the history leading up to the first book in the Belgariad.

I have been reading the second Mazalan for a few days now. I will have to say, it is not living up to the first book. When characters refer to a previous conversation, you might want to have that conversation take place on screen, or else it makes the readers completely lost. One of the central characters is also a 15 year old girl that spreads easier than peanut butter. One of the reasons that I found the first book so good is that it did not include that sort of stuff. Also, book two is a completely different story arc from book one. After reading up on the series on wikipedia it looks like he jumps back and forth for several books. I have already bought the third book, but unless it is as good as the first one, I will probably stop the series there.

Edited June 4, 2012 by Aethling

[Emeralis00 she/her]

-snip-

Third book was my favorite. It deals with a big bad only mentioned in the first book and takes place back on Genebackis. Personally, I think the second book is the most boring of the series.

[Yados]

I'm splitting my time between The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemisin and Inda by Sherwood Smith.

[OwaynOTT he/him]

Kraken by that Mieville fellow is getting a shot by me currently. Already read a few chapters, well more than a few, of The City and The City and wasn't overly find of it, so hoping this is better. Also have Peridido Street Station lived up as well.

This is the summer of my China Mieville.

[Puck he/him]

Finally getting into the Song of Ice and Fire series. Now starting 'a Clash of Kings.'

(...and halfway through 'Secrets of the Baby Whisperer,' but i'd only recommend that under specific circumstances )

[Brendan]

I've been reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen series for about a year now and am about half way through book eight (I do however read multiple books at a time, so the length of time for me to finish this series is not odd) and I wasn't sure if I was going to read the entire series until I got to the end of book two. For me it was wonderful and I've thoroughly enjoyed each book since although they are hard to get through if you're not in the mood to be heavily into a very complex book. That is one of the reasons I read numerous books at once tho and why it has taken me so long to finish the series. I need to finish it quickly tho as I plan to start my WoT reread within the next 4 weeks and having two such epic reads going on at the same time would surely do my head in.

So if you are interested in giving it a shot I suggest reading to the end of book two, if you’re not in love with the series by then you never will be. It is extremely heavy hitting with a steep learning curve, you are not hand held at all through the series and if you do not like that then this is not a book series for you.

[Musicspren he/him]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. (Sorry for the slow response; I was at a music festival last week, so free time was not exactly prevalent.)

So far I have gathered:

The first Malazan book is good.

The first Malazan book is bad.

The second Malazan book is not as good as the first.

In fact, it's the most boring of the series.

My thoughts by the end of the second Malazan book will be representative of how I will like the series overall.

The third Malazan book is the best.

Why did I think asking about books on a forum was going to help me decide?

The Belgariad seems to be more consistently supported (with the caveat that the whole thing is long - it looks like all twelve are roughly 4k pages [although I can't know what that means in wordcount], while Malazan appears to be at least twice that).

(I am aware that I am ignoring the YA mentioned - I'll read those if I reach a point where I want a break between epics; currently, those breaks are called school semesters).

So my current inclination, is, after I reread Warbreaker, to read the Belgariad (unless I reread TWoK first or don't think I'll have time).

[Aethling he/him]

The Belgariad/Mallorean really aren't all that long, or at least they do not feel that way when reading them. The two prequels are the longest of the books by far.

I managed to slog through the second Mazalan and eventually gave it a three star rating on goodreads. I started the third one yesterday. So far, it appears to be already better than the second one. Time will tell on that though.

I finished the last book in the Alchemyst series by Scott as well. He is a good writer, and all of the books in the series are interesting, but he has a SERIOUS issue with his pre-release readers or his editor. There were several times throughout the series where he forgot who did what in earlier books. Confusing your own characters is not really a good thing. To me, that is just sloppy stuff that should be caught before the book is released.

I think that when I finish the third Mazalan book I will go extremely old school. I have been wanting to reread Canterbury tales and Three Musketeers for quite a while now. Possibly start on Dante after that, but that might be too many classics for a short period of time..