The Unknown Medallion he/him Posted January 21 Posted January 21 1 hour ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: I personally liked it a touch more than Ender's Game, not because Bean was an urchin, though I found those parts interesting. I just liked Bean's personality better. See, I'm the other way around. I like Ender a lot more, I find him more relatable and his self doubt is much less obnoxious than Bean's superiority complex 1
The cheeseman Don't you dare go Hollow! Posted January 21 Posted January 21 Been reading The Federalist Papers and a lot of other early American writings. 1
Treamayne Posted January 21 Posted January 21 (edited) On 1/20/2026 at 9:25 PM, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: I personally liked it a touch more than Ender's Game, not because Bean was an urchin, though I found those parts interesting. I just liked Bean's personality better. On 1/20/2026 at 11:04 PM, The Unknown Medallion said: See, I'm the other way around. I like Ender a lot more, I find him more relatable and his self doubt is much less obnoxious than Bean's superiority complex I enjoy both, for different reasons; but I have to admit Bean is a bit insufferable in Ender's Shadow. His character growth through the Shadow Trilogy (Hegemon, Puppets, Giant) is much better (though the antagonist feels DEM to me). I also really like Ender's character arc in Ender in Exile (has minor spoilers for Shadow of the Giant) and makes the transition from Ender's Game to Children of the Mind much less jarring. Edited January 23 by Treamayne SPAG
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted January 23 Posted January 23 (edited) I finished The Great Hunt yesterday, and I'm reading the prologue for The Dragon Reborn. [The Great Hunt] Spoiler Alright so after the Seanchan first showed up and mentioned the Court of the Nine Moons I thought that Selene was the Empress because her house had a moon and stars, and it would explain how she knew of the grolm. But Lanfear explains a lot. I was right, kind of. She's a Darkfriend. Rand is kind of Lews Therin, and Lanfear (if I remember correctly) was his wife. Rand killed the Dark One again. I wonder if this is going to happen every book. I'd imagine that even Rand would get bored of killing him 14 times. The tension did pick up at the Sanderlanche - Jordanlanche? - this time, which is good. Maybe I'll finish the next book faster. Edited March 15 by Through The Living KSauce Typo
aneonfoxtribute Posted January 23 Posted January 23 41 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: Hide contents But Lanfear explains a lot. I was right, kind of. She's a Darkfriend. Rand is kind of Lews Therin, and Lanfear (if I remember correctly) was his wife. Spoiler Lanfear was not his wife. His wife was Ilyena. Lanfear is his bitter ex who never got over him, so naturally she sold her soul to Satan to cope. As you do.
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted January 23 Posted January 23 Just now, aneonfoxtribute said: Hide contents Lanfear was not his wife. His wife was Ilyena. Lanfear is his bitter ex who never got over him, so naturally she sold her soul to Satan to cope. As you do. Spoiler Ooohhh that makes sense Yep Rand needs to watch out.
Schizoposting Posted January 28 Posted January 28 I finished the Shadowmarch tetralogy by Tad Williams two days ago. I actually had relatively low expectations for this series, based on some online comments/reviews that I saw, but I was pleasantly surprised—it was a solid epic fantasy that provided everything I love about the genre: enormous scope, with an ensemble cast, and world-defining stakes. It's one of those books/series that actually make you kind of sad when you finish, because there's nothing more left to read. (That being said, I feel that this series is still inferior to Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, which I think is a genuine masterpiece.) Despite this, I do still have some gripes with some of the plotting, and the way the multiple POV's were handled. For instance, having the Qar just sit outside of Southmarch for two whole books, felt like somewhat underwhelming in my opinion; also, the series suffered from some of the challenges of balancing a huge number (~10) of major POV character's, with many different plotlines, which resulted in a rather slow pacing, and the mildly frustrating phenomenon of having to read like 50 pages of unrelated plotlines to get to one that you find to be most interesting or that is otherwise in a cliffhanger. Whilst most of the series was pretty slow paced, the final book was like A Memory of Light, in that it was essentially just one huge climax (or Sanderlanche), that made the whole "slog" preceding it, totally worth it. In addition, I thought that Williams did a good job with characterization—particularly, I thought that the Autarch made for a very entertaining villain, and I also liked the dynamic between Barrick and Briony, although I would have liked to see more of it at the end. So, while not Tad Williams' best work, or particularly groundbreaking, Shadowmarch makes for a well written epic fantasy that will probably appeal to most fans of the genre. 1
Briar King Posted February 5 Posted February 5 I finished up Twelve Months in 3 or 4 nights. I picked my reread of the books back up that I had paused on bk 5 and I really hustled to be done so I could go straight to bk 18 on release day. I finished with 3 days to go. Now im rereading Hamilton's Commonwealth 1st duology. Almost to the end of bk 1. 1
aneonfoxtribute Posted February 7 Posted February 7 I have now finished the final book of the Cradle series (not counting the short stories) THAT WAS AWESOME! That was amazing. Really good series. @Eluvianii 1
AleStaar he/him Posted February 7 Posted February 7 Reading The Way of Kings. Got less than 300 pages left. So excited to get to the sanderlanche 1
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted February 7 Posted February 7 (edited) So I'm still reading the Dragon Reborn. I also finished The Martian audiobook and have begun Tau Zero The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan Spoiler Egwene is playing Sanderson Elimination Rand has run off to Illian, the others are trying to track him down Elaida being Black Ajah in the other world from the ter'angreal is interesting. Perhaps that means there's a good chance she really is Black Ajah? She'd be the second Red sister Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne are looking for. Or perhaps the Black Ajah figured out how to alter what the ter'angreal shows to try to frame Elaida. Also I feel like the 'Nynaeve can only channel when she's angry' thing has been dragging on a little too much. The Martian by Andy Weir Really good! Can't decide if it's better than PHM at this stage, but really good! Spoiler Extreme botany indeed Also hacking Pathfinder was insane, still can't get over it Surviving over a year on Mars, alone... Tau Zero by Poul Anderson Hard sci-fi. Set pretty far in the future, I think. With the audiobook, it's a little hard to keep track of characters though as they all sound kind of similar. It feels a little like the Ender's Game sequels, with humanity expanding towards the stars on relativistic ships. Spoiler I'm up to the part where their decelerator broke, and now they've said that they must go beyond the Local Cluster and settle in the next galaxy cluster Though that'll probably be a little difficult as I feel the universe may have aged noticeably before they get decelerated Though I'd thought that the Local Cluster couldn't be escaped, as the galaxies beyond are so far away that the expansion of the universe is driving them away faster than light Regardless, this is a really cool concept. Edited February 7 by KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren 1
Eluvianii he/him Posted February 7 Posted February 7 2 hours ago, aneonfoxtribute said: I have now finished the final book of the Cradle series (not counting the short stories) THAT WAS AWESOME! That was amazing. Really good series. @Eluvianii Noted. Well, might as well begin, first book seems pretty short anyway. For the publisher to have bundled three of them into one.
aneonfoxtribute Posted February 7 Posted February 7 25 minutes ago, Eluvianii said: Noted. Well, might as well begin, first book seems pretty short anyway. For the publisher to have bundled three of them into one. Yeah, most of these books are pretty short. They run around 600 pages on the long side.
Use the Falchion Posted February 15 Posted February 15 On 2/7/2026 at 1:07 AM, Eluvianii said: Noted. Well, might as well begin, first book seems pretty short anyway. For the publisher to have bundled three of them into one. Get that collection quickly! It's going away very soon.
Through the Living Hopper He/Him Posted February 16 Posted February 16 (edited) On 1/14/2026 at 8:35 PM, The Unknown Medallion said: If you haven't continued yet, I think the characters get better in the next one, though I haven't worked up the mental power to read the third yet The third is a lot. I loved it, and it may very well be my favorite book, although I really liked the second, too, but it's very emotional. I almost cried. On 1/14/2026 at 7:24 PM, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: The characters are bad, but everything else is good. What exactly do you mean by weird? You don't like the characters? I liked Weng and Luo Jing(I think, I can't remember), and I thought he (Luo) had very human motivations, although the 3rd protagonist is a bit infuriating. I'm in a bit of a slump finding books, but I've read a few in the past week or so. I'm going to steal KSOHS's method. Tress (reread for a book club) Nothing to say here. Dark Matter, Blake Crouch Enjoyable short-medium read. Disliked the POV, but I understand why it's necessary. Spoiler Was a bit angry about how Charlie got shunted aside. Also, he wanted to get back to his universe, and then left. I thought the potential for action with all of hims was awesome, and then the action didn't follow through. I read right after the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, so the science felt flimsy and the story a bit emotionless. Also, we never found out what happened to the other protagonist. Overall, strong start, poor end. I wish Brandon Sanderson had written the climax. Would recommend. Rock, Paper, Scissors, Alice Feeney Okay, I guess. Kind of interesting. Same problem I had with Daisy Darker (Yes, I know, but a man's got to do what he's got to do when there are no books in the house): Spoiler The twist felt like the author started writing and then came up with the big reveal. There were actually some pretty creepy moments in this book (I read the part with the pamphlet in the crypt at night when I was the only one awake), but lacked follow-through. Again, strong start, lacked follow-through, but a short creepy read. Would recommend. Currently Reading: This Is How They Tell Us the World Ends Already afraid of what information you guys are taking from me. Edited February 16 by ThatOneWorldhopper
Eluvianii he/him Posted February 16 Posted February 16 7 hours ago, Use the Falchion said: Get that collection quickly! It's going away very soon. Well, I have it digitally. Bought it on a whim once I saw it on sale pretty much for free, but never did get around to read it. 1
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted February 16 Posted February 16 5 hours ago, ThatOneWorldhopper said: You don't like the characters? I liked Weng and Luo Jing(I think, I can't remember), and I thought he (Luo) had very human motivations, although the 3rd protagonist is a bit infuriating. The characterisation doesn't feel right to me Luo Ji is like the only one with an arc 5 hours ago, ThatOneWorldhopper said: although the 3rd protagonist is a bit infuriating. Yup.
Through the Living Hopper He/Him Posted February 16 Posted February 16 11 hours ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: The characterisation doesn't feel right to me Luo Ji is like the only one with an arc That's true, but his is a really good arc. And other characters do have arcs, just not the main protagonists. Spoiler One of my favorite moments in any book I've read is the euthanasia scene in Death's End, simply because of how heartbreaking it is, but the characterization isn't campy or clichèd.
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted February 16 Posted February 16 3 hours ago, ThatOneWorldhopper said: That's true, but his is a really good arc. And other characters do have arcs, just not the main protagonists. Hide contents One of my favorite moments in any book I've read is the euthanasia scene in Death's End, simply because of how heartbreaking it is, but the characterization isn't campy or clichèd. Hmmm... yeah you're right
Through the Living Hopper He/Him Posted February 23 Posted February 23 The Princess Bride (reread for a book club), by Henry Goldman I actually really enjoyed this book, and it has a very refreshing story. However, Spoiler Westley is mean to Buttercup, Goldblum is mean to Helen, and Max is mean to his wife. Goldman did lose a little of my respect with that, even if it's just for a bit. To be honest, I think we could have done without "Buttercup's Baby," though I thought the "Unexplained Inigo Fragment" was good characterization. The opening to this book is unlike any other I've read, and it's an interesting style. Would recommend. Ball Lightning, by Cixin Liu Disappointing. I needed another book and this was by the same person who wrote The Three Body Problem. This book is not The Three Body Problem. Spoiler It opens with a story about his parents getting incinerated and chicken being cooked through a fridge. Interesting, but the book never actually explains how the chicken got cooked. By the rules that we learn later, the chicken should have disintegrated. There were a couple of other problems I found, too, but I won't go into them here. Worth a read, just don't expect the emotion, political science, science, or emotion of The Three Body Problem.
Shatter He/Him Posted February 25 Posted February 25 First and Only, by Dan Abnett Spoiler I haven't finished it, so here's the synopsis from Goodreads: This book is set in the 41st millennium of the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. In the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, Imperial Commissar Gaunt must lead his men through as much infighting amongst rival regiments as against the forces of Chaos. For a thousand years, the Sabbat Worlds have been lost to the Imperium, claimed by the dread powers of Chaos. Now, a mighty crusade seeks to return the sector to Imperial rule. And at the forefront of that crusade are Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only – better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts. Trapped in the grinding trench warfare of Fortis Binary, the Ghosts find themselves drawn into a conspiracy to assassinate the crusade’s leader, Warmaster Macaroth. With enemies all around them and no one to trust, Gaunt and his men must find a way to save the Warmaster and prevent the Sabbat Worlds Crusade from falling into anarchy – even if it means waging war on their supposed allies. The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan Spoiler ... Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Go read The Wheel of Time. On 2/7/2026 at 3:42 AM, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: So I'm still reading the Dragon Reborn. I also finished The Martian audiobook and have begun Tau Zero The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan Reveal hidden contents Egwene is playing Sanderson Elimination Rand has run off to Illian, the others are trying to track him down Elaida being Black Ajah in the other world from the ter'angreal is interesting. Perhaps that means there's a good chance she really is Black Ajah? She'd be the second Red sister Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne are looking for. Or perhaps the Black Ajah figured out how to alter what the ter'angreal shows to try to frame Elaida. Also I feel like the 'Nynaeve can only channel when she's angry' thing has been dragging on a little too much. The Martian by Andy Weir Really good! Can't decide if it's better than PHM at this stage, but really good! Reveal hidden contents Extreme botany indeed Also hacking Pathfinder was insane, still can't get over it Surviving over a year on Mars, alone... Tau Zero by Poul Anderson Hard sci-fi. Set pretty far in the future, I think. With the audiobook, it's a little hard to keep track of characters though as they all sound kind of similar. It feels a little like the Ender's Game sequels, with humanity expanding towards the stars on relativistic ships. Hide contents I'm up to the part where their decelerator broke, and now they've said that they must go beyond the Local Cluster and settle in the next galaxy cluster Though that'll probably be a little difficult as I feel the universe may have aged noticeably before they get decelerated Though I'd thought that the Local Cluster couldn't be escaped, as the galaxies beyond are so far away that the expansion of the universe is driving them away faster than light Regardless, this is a really cool concept. on your thingamabob for Tau Zero yeah. Spoiler The main problem is this will take millions of years to do, and the universe is expanding faster and faster. Currently only distant galaxies are moving away faster than the speed of light. I think it is plausible but it would take millions upon millions of years to do. I'd recommend they invent an Alcubierre drive as that will take less time to invent.
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted February 25 Posted February 25 1 hour ago, Shatter said: First and Only, by Dan Abnett Reveal hidden contents I haven't finished it, so here's the synopsis from Goodreads: This book is set in the 41st millennium of the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. In the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, Imperial Commissar Gaunt must lead his men through as much infighting amongst rival regiments as against the forces of Chaos. For a thousand years, the Sabbat Worlds have been lost to the Imperium, claimed by the dread powers of Chaos. Now, a mighty crusade seeks to return the sector to Imperial rule. And at the forefront of that crusade are Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only – better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts. Trapped in the grinding trench warfare of Fortis Binary, the Ghosts find themselves drawn into a conspiracy to assassinate the crusade’s leader, Warmaster Macaroth. With enemies all around them and no one to trust, Gaunt and his men must find a way to save the Warmaster and prevent the Sabbat Worlds Crusade from falling into anarchy – even if it means waging war on their supposed allies. The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan Hide contents ... Hide contents Hide contents Hide contents Go read The Wheel of Time. on your thingamabob for Tau Zero yeah. Hide contents The main problem is this will take millions of years to do, and the universe is expanding faster and faster. Currently only distant galaxies are moving away faster than the speed of light. I think it is plausible but it would take millions upon millions of years to do. I'd recommend they invent an Alcubierre drive as that will take less time to invent. [Tau Zero] Spoiler I was under the impression that stuff beyond the Local Cluster counted as 'distant galaxies', but I may be wrong But they don't know if that's even possible And to stop and build it they face the same problem; they can't stop until they leave the Local Cluster.
Shatter He/Him Posted February 25 Posted February 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: [Tau Zero] Hide contents I was under the impression that stuff beyond the Local Cluster counted as 'distant galaxies', but I may be wrong But they don't know if that's even possible And to stop and build it they face the same problem; they can't stop until they leave the Local Cluster. Spoiler nope. DISTANT galaxies are moving that fast. like 14-15 billion light years away. Which is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY far away. Basically everything is closer. also the theories in Tau Zero are now outdated btw Edited February 25 by Shatter
KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him Posted February 25 Posted February 25 9 hours ago, Shatter said: Hide contents nope. DISTANT galaxies are moving that fast. like 14-15 billion light years away. Which is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY far away. Basically everything is closer. also the theories in Tau Zero are now outdated btw Spoiler Ah. I looked it up, the Local Cluster's only 10 million lightyears across. Oh. Spoiler Does the Tau Factor still hold?
Shatter He/Him Posted February 26 Posted February 26 15 hours ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said: Hide contents Ah. I looked it up, the Local Cluster's only 10 million lightyears across. Oh. Hide contents Does the Tau Factor still hold? Spoiler Not really. We learned that the expansion of the universe was not constant so even though it is relatively accurate it's not precise.
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