What Are You Reading, Part 2

[guess]

Best Served Cold is one of the best single fantasy books I've read. That said, it was somewhat of an anomaly for me. Joe Abercrombi usally comes up short for me and, while I like much of the stuff in his books, there always seems to be something bugging me.

But Best Served Cold is flawless and, by far, Abercrombi's best.

I thought the battle scene at the end of Last Argument of Kings was the best battle scene I ever read. He really showed the chaos of war. He also had a very complex ending which I thought was brilliant.

[Ryan]

I'm most of the way through Leviathan Wakes, which is awesome, but where I am right now, is just a bit depressing, and I just didn't need that. I'll come back to it eventually, but in the meantime, I've begun my pre-AMoL WoT reread. I'm through New Spring and about 50 pages into The Eye of the World.

I'm...not sure if I'll read Crossroads of Twilight this time through. I know it's one of Brandon's favorites, but it's so boring.

[GREENMONSTA]

As much as I dont generally read Stephen King. I just picked up 11/22/63, the new historical fiction book on time travel and stopping JFKs assasination. Havent started it as of yet but Im hearing some ok things so far. Will update when I finish it.

[GREENMONSTA]

I'm currently reading (maybe a third of the way through) Stephen King's new book, 11/22/63. Before this the only book of his I'd read was Carrie, and that was in fourth grade, so going into this I pretty much knew only his reputation as a horror writer. Normally I don't much go for horror (you know, that may have something to do with reading Carrie in fourth grade...) but I was intrigued by the premise (time travel, and the title tells you which historic event is the focus) and thought I'd check it out. It's quite good so far--characters are really well done. If I had to put it in a genre I'd probably say "magical realism" (though usually I don't like that as it seems like just a convenient way for English majors to say they're not reading fantasy).

Just read this post. Should have browsed before I posted. Im a little more interested after seeing this

[HiccupGreyjoy]

Well, it looks like trying Miéville in original wasn´t going very well for me - also it looked like he was extremely convinced that serious sci-fi must be boring to the max. So instead of Embassytown I´m going to fight true Juggernaut -Otherland by Tad Williams and so far it seems to be very good!

[Joe ST]

Otherland is a fantastic story

I just reread Warbreaker, and am kinda on-off the Silmarillion

[Kelek]

17th Shard forums! and going through a re-read of WoK. Next on the list is The Misenchanted Sword.

[WriterDan]

Eyes to See by Nassise ended up being pretty good, with a few annoyances spread throughout.

Songs of the Earth by Cooper was really mediocre and full of boring meandering right through to the poor ending.

Reading Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon by Hodder now. So happy to be back to this story. Lovin it.

[Joe ST]

Started a reread of TWoK... I probably shouldn't but heh

[Yados]

I'm mostly using Terry Pratchett audiobooks to get through the work days now. They're pretty perfectly suited for the task at that.

[whynaut]

It was Terry Pratchett books that got me into audiobooks.

I just finished the first book in the Rachel Aaron's Eli Moonpress trilogy. This was one of those rare cases when I thought the plot was weak (Aaron coddles her characters too much), but I liked the characters so much that I was willing to continue the series.

[Oath Breaker]

I just finished the first book in the Rachel Aaron's Eli Moonpress trilogy. This was one of those rare cases when I thought the plot was weak (Aaron coddles her characters too much), but I liked the characters so much that I was willing to continue the series.

I thought it was merely a simple plot, felt like a basic feel good, adventure/fantasy story.

Well I'll be listening to 'The Stand' by Stephen King in a few days but until then I'm splitting my attention between Childhood's End and Dragon Fate by E.E. Knight, not sure what to think about that one.

I just finished listening to Shadow Puppets by Orson Card

Edited January 31, 2012 by Oath Breaker

[ProfessorMLyon]

I've been in a slump recently trying to find something new. Any new book recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[guess]

Reality Dysfunction-- Peter F Hamilton: VERY good space opera. 500+ years in the future, humans have an interstellar civilization. Very well written hard sci-fi. Then the dead come back and start to possess the living. It is almost 1100 pages, but I did not get bored at all. I found all of the characters interested and the author future universe the author created is very well thought out. This is the first of a 3 book series(all around 1100 pages). The prose is very good too. He does a very good job of mixing up where he dumps information on you. All of this information is interesting.

I have some minor issues. It is a galactic wide civilization, but virtually all of the characters are either american based or english based. This is true even of the dead that come back (Al Capone is in the second book). He has a key character who lived in an African Ethnic world, but there aren't a lot of characters like that. Alot of the worlds are set up to be based on specific cultures/ethnicities, but all the ones full fleshed out so far are Anglo-American. Not a huge beef. He probably did this because this is what he knows and can write about.

I will probably end up reading every book Peter has written. I really appreciate the amount of thought he put into the technology and how an interstellar civilization would function.

[SOM1else]

I downloaded Les Miserables from Project Gutenberg the other day and have started the massive undertaking of reading it. I only started last night but it moving at an excruciatingly slow pace, partly because I have realized that if I don't read it outloud I start to skim and it goes completely over my head. to combat this I am reading it out loud to my little sister before we go to bed. Although it is incredibly long and slow I am enjoying it a lot. I have figured that if I continue at the current pace I should be able to finish it in 2 1/2 - 3 months.

[ProfessorMLyon]

Decided to pick up Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan. Not a bad read so far. It is your standard fair of fantasy, but I find the characters enjoyable.

Edited February 8, 2012 by ProfessorMLyon

[Yados]

I just finished Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Went through it in two nights.

Imagine if Joe Abercrombie wrote Name of the Wind.

Really, fun, fast, punchy read. Grisly as all get out though.

[Voidbringer]

I am currently reading The Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan, The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose, The Dreaming Void by Peter Hamilton, and Farmers and Mercenaries by Maxwell Alexander Drake.

[SOM1else]

Still reading Les Miserables but now just to myself

Reading Way of Kings to the little sis.

Rereading The Hobbit to get ready for this December.

[Emeralis00]

Reading several D&D 3.5e source books. Its too bad my local group doesn't allow pathfinder adaptations.

[Joe ST]

Just finished TWoK, and then Jim Butcher's Furies of Calderon, onto the second one in the Codex Alera series now

[CrazyRioter]

currently reading Grave Peril by Jim Butcher.

[Joe ST]

Scrap that, on to the third of Calderon >.>

[guess]

Way of Kings (Audio) Same two people who read the Wheel of Time. The two main female characters had a tone similiar to female characters in the Wheel of Time. Not sure if its just because its the same woman reading them or maybe because Brandon was influenced by Robert Jordan and Harriet while finishing WoT. The book jumped around in time with one of the view points. That was done pretty well. I found the ending interesting. The use of God at the end reminded me of Mistborn. Brandon seems more interested in religion than most fantasy authors. I didn't quite follow how the bridge runners worked. They get to a chasm. How do the push the bridge across( I got the hardcover book too, so I looked at the pictures and the maps)? Its heavy. Isn't it likely to tip over and fall in the chasm? I also don't get the vengeance pact. If the Alethi need the gems for their soul casters, why did they wait to go get them? Wouldn't they be farming them all along? On top of that, how does each side know when a gem heart is available? They take them from Chasm fiends, but how do they know where they are?

I would also think that morale would be much lower on the Alethi side. Constant fighting leads to alot of casualties with no end in site. The average soldier won't care about the Gems. He mentions this some, but I think they might be closer to mutiny.

Overall I liked it. Part of this is probably because its the first book and there is more to explain. I would have liked it more if the book went a little darker and the surgeon killed the noble. I know why Brandon didn't do that, but I have darker tastes. Then again, I recently finished The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie so my opinions are trending dark.

Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton: 2nd book in Nights Dawn Trilogy. VERY good book. VERY good hard sci-fi. Minor beefs. He has Al Capone come back from the dead and I find I roll my eyes sometimes with this. Also, he gives lip service to non-Anglo/American cultures, but the book focuses almost entirely on them. He has one Kenyan ethnic group, but their culture was basically western. Hamilton has the dead come back to posess the living, but most of the main dead characters are anglo-Americans from the industrial age and forward. Not really fair to expect him to explore all this, but a little more would have made the books better.

That having been said, these books are terrific. Over 1,000 pages long and it did NOT drag on at all.

Edited February 17, 2012 by guess

[Joe ST]

I didn't quite follow how the bridge runners worked. They get to a chasm. How do the push the bridge across( I got the hardcover book too, so I looked at the pictures and the maps)? Its heavy. Isn't it likely to tip over and fall in the chasm?

If it's long enough it won't tip before its all over the chasm. Also I believe they try to cross at places where their chasm is slightly taller (its mentioned at some point iirc?)

I also don't get the vengeance pact. If the Alethi need the gems for their soul casters, why did they wait to go get them? Wouldn't they be farming them all along? On top of that, how does each side know when a gem heart is available? They take them from Chasm fiends, but how do they know where they are?

The gemhearts are not the same as the gems used in fabrials. The Alethi only found out about the Chasmfiends on the Shattered Plains due to the parshendi and Gavilar's adventures. We dont know how the parshendi know where the Chasmfiends are, but the Warcamps have scouting parties and spotting towers.

I would also think that morale would be much lower on the Alethi side. Constant fighting leads to alot of casualties with no end in site. The average soldier won't care about the Gems. He mentions this some, but I think they might be closer to mutiny.

Maybe some of the other camps, but you have to remember that Vorinism preaches the virtues of the Soldier as the most awesome of professions (unlike the Horneaters).

Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton: 2nd book in Nights Dawn Trilogy. VERY good book. VERY good hard sci-fi. Minor beefs. He has Al Capone come back from the dead and I find I roll my eyes sometimes with this. Also, he gives lip service to non-Anglo/American cultures, but the book focuses almost entirely on them. He has one Kenyan ethnic group, but their culture was basically western. Hamilton has the dead come back to posess the living, but most of the main dead characters are anglo-Americans from the industrial age and forward. Not really fair to expect him to explore all this, but a little more would have made the books better.

That having been said, these books are terrific. Over 1,000 pages long and it did NOT drag on at all.

Nights Dawn is AWESOME. but I agree with the lack of diversity. It is pretty hard to do that though, and still produce such awesome stories... Otherland is (in my sheltered opinion) better for diversity, and is also an awesome story XD.