What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Koloss17 She/They]

Currently, I am continuing down my trek to over-analyze The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. I have at this point close to a 100 page document of notes, and am only half way through Harrow the Ninth.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It is super fun, and has the lore and thoroughness of the Cosmere, and with so many more secrets. It badly needs something akin to the Coppermind, but it don’t. Which is kind of what I aspire to do, and I will eventually release it, once I find a way to make the naming system of Google Docs anonymous.

[Treamayne]

12 hours ago, Koloss17 said:

Currently, I am continuing down my trek to over-analyze The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. I have at this point close to a 100 page document of notes, and am only half way through Harrow the Ninth.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It is super fun, and has the lore and thoroughness of the Cosmere, and with so many more secrets. It badly needs something akin to the Coppermind, but it don’t. Which is kind of what I aspire to do, and I will eventually release it, once I find a way to make the naming system of Google Docs anonymous.

The Locked Tomb Wiki Here (It's a Fandom Wiki, so not as nice as Coppermind. . . and probably lacking in detail)

You should submit it to Recommended Reading. . . (blatant plug)

[Koloss17 She/They]

9 hours ago, Treamayne said:

The Locked Tomb Wiki Here (It's a Fandom Wiki, so not as nice as Coppermind. . . and probably lacking in detail)

You should submit it to Recommended Reading. . . (blatant plug)

Yeah I looked at it, and it is much more thorough than other wikis out there, and it certainly gives folks a briefing on what is going on, but it’s missing the key details that folks are unsure of, and the stuff that isn’t agreed upon in the community. Still a good source tho!

[Treamayne]

1 minute ago, Koloss17 said:

Yeah I looked at it, and it is much more thorough than other wikis out there, and it certainly gives folks a briefing on what is going on, but it’s missing the key details that folks are unsure of, and the stuff that isn’t agreed upon in the community. Still a good source tho!

Oh, when you said "[This series] badly needs something akin to the Coppermind, but it don’t" I thought that meant you didn't know it already had a wiki (if incomplete). Sorry.

[Koloss17 She/They]

8 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Oh, when you said "[This series] badly needs something akin to the Coppermind, but it don’t" I thought that meant you didn't know it already had a wiki (if incomplete). Sorry.

Ah, no. It needs something as extra as the Coppermind, with tidbits of information from all over, with tiny little details all compiled into one place.

[Robin Sedai she/her]

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Mandanna. I loved this book so much! I've been under a lot of stress lately, and this kind, warmhearted novel was just what I needed.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Robin Sedai

[shortcake thr/eat ka/boom]

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I'm not that far into it yet, sooooooooo ye

[Briar King]

Sucks that Cormac McCarthy died. Blood Meridian is a great book. I should check out more of them.

[I'm KENough he/him]

Mastery by Robert Greene, I pulled an all nighter and still only halfway down 

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

Reading the Poppy War by R. F Kuang. Very interesting book, I'm excited to see how it goes. It feels like a Kingkiller-esque story with Lightbringer like prose and shear dreariness.

Edit: I also finished the tWoK audio book, which was an even slower burn than the book normally is, but wow can Brandon climax. Started on Children of Ruin by Andrian Tchaikovsky (thank goodness for mobile auto suggestions cause that name is insane to spell).

Edited June 14, 2023 by The Bald Brandon

[Use the Falchion]

I've been REALLY into Progression Fantasy and LitRPG these days, which is weird to me given my general dislike of Isekais and the genre. (Log Horizon is the exception.) but that may be due to ignorance, and there admittedly are other stories that have interesting enough concepts that I'd be willing to try them. Back to books, I've gone through: 

Cradle series by Will Wight (as mentioned previously) - Recommended - 12 books and complete

Unbound series by Nicoli Gonnella - Recommended if you like LitRPGs and OP main characters - 7 books and incomplete

Manifestation series by Samuel Hilton - Recommended if you like Cradle - 2 books and incomplete

Street Cultivation trilogy by Sarah Lin - Recommended if you like a hybrid of LitRPG stuff, Urban Fantasy, and Cradle - 3 books and complete

Titan Hoppers by Rob J Hayes - Sci-Fi Progression Fantasy. - 2 books and incomplete

All the Skills by Honour Rae - Recommended. (My favorite LitRPG, or at least tied with Unbound) - 2 books and incomplete

4 books in the Mage Errant series. - Not recommended. - 8 books I think. No idea if it's complete or not. 

 

I've also tried the Battle Mage Farmer series, but I couldn't get past 33%. The same is true with Defiance of the Fall. I may finish DoTF, but it won't be any time soon. Currently, I'm trying out One More Last Time in hopes that it'll give me what I want.

 

Hopefully soon I'll go back to regular Fantasy books and cross some things off my TBR list...

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

I just read The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, and it was good, I think.  I was a little skeptical because in general I'm not a fan of the Fifties in literature, but it turned out to not matter.  Maybe I don't like the American fifties.

I went to a Half Price Books and got a copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, so I'll be rereading that.

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

Almost done with Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky, not related except in theme.

It mildly sucks to be in the climax of too very good very similar books. I don't get storylines confused easily but it's almost there.

[Dunkum he/him]

Finally picked up copies of the Powder Mage trilogy. it's been on my to-read list for a while based on recommendations here, but my library didn't have it. finally found a used copy and got through the first book while I was on vacation for a while. started on the 2nd last night. Liking it a lot so far, only (very minor) issue I have is just how specific the Powder Mage magic is. Knacked and Privileged are fine, but Marked are extremely specific in ways that don't really match the others. but the books have been good enough that that mostly doesn't bother me too much unless I dwell on it.

[Edema Rue she/her]

Xenocide 

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

8 hours ago, Dunkum said:

Finally picked up copies of the Powder Mage trilogy. it's been on my to-read list for a while based on recommendations here, but my library didn't have it. finally found a used copy and got through the first book while I was on vacation for a while. started on the 2nd last night. Liking it a lot so far, only (very minor) issue I have is just how specific the Powder Mage magic is. Knacked and Privileged are fine, but Marked are extremely specific in ways that don't really match the others. but the books have been good enough that that mostly doesn't bother me too much unless I dwell on it.

I think if you list out the Marked's powers, they seem more diverse. But they are kinda condemned to always being less than the Privileged that can do anything. 

(Example, spoilers only really for b1 and barely even that:)

Spoiler

● Make Gunpowder explode

● Absorb gunpowder explosions and redirect them

● Sense gunpowder 

● Sense Powder Mages

● Have a third eye

● Enhance gunpowder explosions

● Turn bullets midair via a subset of power 2

And that doesn't even count Powder trance enhancements:

● Increased strength

● Increased speed

● Enhanced vision 

● Enhanced hearing

● Enhanced other senses?

● Ignoring pain

● Survive past ordinary damage

● Go nearly a week without sleep

I think that it, but that's still a pretty long list.

6 hours ago, Edema Ruh said:

Xenocide 

How are you enjoying it?

I think it was my least favorite of the Ender Saga, just behind Children of the Mind, which I just finished. 

Book one is technically my favorite, but it's such a different book that it almost doesn't count.

[Edema Rue she/her]

31 minutes ago, The Bald Brandon said:

How are you enjoying it?

I think it was my least favorite of the Ender Saga, just behind Children of the Mind, which I just finished. 

Book one is technically my favorite, but it's such a different book that it almost doesn't count.

It’s pretty good!! I absolutely loved Speaker for the Dead, and so far this one’s pretty good. There are a lot of things to think about, so plot wise it’s kinda slow, but overall I’m enjoying it.

And yeah, book one is completely different. Amazing, but completely different.

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

Red Rising is amazing. End of story.

@Treamayne, will probably add something for it tomorrow, but if you can do it in the meantime that would be ideal.

Also reading A Crown of Swords: WoT Six. It's pretty good.

[Guest]

Oooh I'm reading Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

[Robin Sedai she/her]

Cat Rambo's You Sexy Thing. (Ignore the title, it's the name of a spaceship.) Fun space opera, prose could be a little weak at times but not so much that it bothered me. I loved the characters. Apparently the sequel's coming out in August, so looking forward to that!

[The cheeseman Don't you dare go Hollow!]

I'm about halfway done with The Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski. It is an historical fantasy novel set in 1490s Czechslovakia, Bohemia, and Poland and it draws - as with most of Sapkowski's writing - from Slavic myths, monsters, and legends. It's a pretty good book

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

I recently tried The Lost Fleet again (found book one in a Half-Price Books for $1.99, couldn't pass that up) and I'm liking it a surprising amount.  I know that later books get bigger, since I accidentally started with one of those, but these early ones are great for being light reading that I don't have to work too hard at, which makes them a great break.

I also got a copy of The Illiad, and really enjoyed it!  I would have liked a poetry translation, but prose was available, so I read it.

I'm trying to get my hands on The Eagle Of The Ninth, but it's looking like that might be harder than I anticipated.

[+Slowswift]

I just finished A Civil Campaign, the first Lois McMaster Bujold book I've read. I enjoyed it immensely.

Probably going to read The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard next.

[Dunkum he/him]

picked up the first 3 Thomas Covenant books at a used book sale this morning: $3 for all 3 together, cheap enough that even if I absolutely hate them I don't mind the cost. they had some of the later books too, but I figured I'd start with the first Trilogy an decide on the others afterwards.  will get to reading those once I finish Lords and Ladies - have been doing a Dsicworld reread, but after this one there is a huge gap in the books I own so pausing here for now.

[The Unknown Medallion he/him]

Read Red Rising. Go.

Oh my storming goodness. I highly recommend the Graphic Audio as the main narrator fits so well.

But if you can't or won't listen to the GA, just read it. So amazing. Would probably recommend reading it blind, without looking at the blurb. It's not necessary, but it adds a lot of weight to the beginning. 

Edit: Sevro is so amazing. I hope he isn't gone forever. Howwwwooooowww

Edited July 17, 2023 by The Known Novel