What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Guest]

I FINALLY finished Codex Alera book one. Only took me over a month.

It was fine, I'll read the next one, I wasn't in love with it.

 

Yeah... I am struggling to punch through those last pages of the last book. Somehow, Butcher's way to describe battles takes the anticipation out of it, it isn't exciting and that last one just seems to drag one forever. The author has somehow not mastered the art to create a climax. not like Brandon does. There are few instances, in books, where I expected this climax to happen, but was disappointed it wasn't better exploited. 

 

The first books are better, I read them quickly enough, but the last one.... It is just one giant fight. 

 

 

Personally wasn't a fan of the way the series ended, but the first two hunger games books were decent. like you say, not the best written, but enjoyable.  the last book I didn't like much, and it kind of soured me on the series as a whole.  the movies I haven't seen, and after their stunt of splitting the final book into 2 movies, I'm going to avoid them on principle.  I hate it when hollywood does that.

 

I rather liked the movies, even the third one. I thought it was quite a good adaptation of the book: I can see why they split it in two. My husband who never read the books really liked the third movie. It is much better than the 3rd book, which is the weakest.

 

 

I had to read Hunger Games, it was ok, one of the better books my teacher forced us to read, though she did force us to read a lot of terrible teen fiction...

 

In fact if it hadnt been for Frankenstein and The Metamorphosis it would have been the best book she had forced us to read. So I guess that means it is a step above other bad teen fiction... havent read the other books though, never will, dont care that much.

 

Anyway, reading House of Leaves at the moment. It is interesting so far.

 

I wouldn't qualify Hunger Games as bad teenage fiction. The first book is pretty well wrapped up and it does managed to present the story in a plausible way. Unlike other teenage flicks, it gave proper background to the main character in order to justify her being such a thread in the arena. Most stories tend to give their characters strength which come out of nowhere, Hunger Games does well in this matter. 

 

I can believe Katniss is a good archer and knows how to survive in forest: she as taught by her father and she had been the sole provider for her family for 4 years now. It is plausible her skill in the matter would be unsurpassed. Her ploy to take away the Careers also was rather plausible: take away their food supply, they have no idea how to hunt for themselves. 

 

I can also believe the main protagonist ends up a pawn to be used and loses most of her agency as the story advances as she essentially remains a powerless teenage girl. Having the teenage kid single-handily change the world is a mistake many author makes... 

 

So all in all, it wasn't a bad story. I thought it was a rather good one, simple, slightly too heavy on drug abuse, but it holds itself pretty well. The main character is compelling, she has many flaws, but we get where she comes from and she certainly isn't OP. The same cannot be said of other popular YA stories.

 

I was pretty disappointed when one of my younger male colleagues said he wouldn't read Hunger Games because the main character was a girl... He said it wasn't mainly to read books where the main character is a girl and, as a man, he would pass for effeminate if he were to actually like a strong female protagonist      I can't believe there are individuals who still thinks this way 

 

 

Bk 2 is leaps better. 1 is by far the weakest imo mostly cause of the glaring Farmboy trope.

 

Yeah but it then morphs to another very classic trope... All in all, it isn't a very imaginative story. I get why it is popular, but it isn't overly imaginative. Some of the side characters had more potential than the author allowed them to have.

 

 

Re: Codex Alera. I just got to the part with the herdbanes and just had to stop and go, whoaaaa, have we traveled back in time? All I could think of was the book Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel, which shows some giant freaky prehistoric predatory birds.

 

TERROR BIRDS!!!!! I love those 

[AerionBFII he/him]

Gave up Codex Alera during book two... I loved the idea but it just didn't do it for me..

Never got into Hunger Games either, just couldn't really care about it. Although i might watch the movies one day.

[Who Sharded?]

 

 

The author has somehow not mastered the art to create a climax

 

You must not have read the Dresden Files series.

 

I've read the first 4 Codex Alera books so far.  I'd say they're good, not great.  I think Butcher is better at writing short, pulpy stuff than bigger, epic fantasy.  Codex Alera feels like action novels trapped in the too-big skin of epic fantasy.  I say this as a huge fan of big epics; Codex Alera just feels a little off to me.  Still quite enjoyable, though.

[Guest]

You must not have read the Dresden Files series.

 

I've read the first 4 Codex Alera books so far.  I'd say they're good, not great.  I think Butcher is better at writing short, pulpy stuff than bigger, epic fantasy.  Codex Alera feels like action novels trapped in the too-big skin of epic fantasy.  I say this as a huge fan of big epics; Codex Alera just feels a little off to me.  Still quite enjoyable, though.

 

I haven't read Dresden and I don't intend to in the near future. I somehow do not think I would like it.

 

This being said, there is something off about Codex. There are good elements in there, but it lacks the spices to make it truly fascinating. I wouldn't even call it an action novel as it seems more of a military tale of endless battles with little end games for the main characters. There is just no climax, no "oh chull" moment, no anticipation, just reading through pages and pages of conflict and practically knowing in advance how it will end. There are few surprises here and there, but there are too few of them.

 

It wasn't a bad story, but I had to punch through some bouts, especially book 6. Book 6 isn't very fun to read. The other books were better, 3 and 4 being the highlights as these are when you think the story is finally taking shape, you think some characters are getting more bones only to see them fade back into the background.

[Sunbird she/her]

So I finished Furies of Calderon today and quite enjoyed it. I'm glad the Marat turned out to be more than just two-dimensional "savage" archetypes. I will definitely be reading book 2.

 

Next on my list is Crucible of Gold, the next one of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series that I haven't yet read.

[Darkness Ascendant he/him]

I actually have alot on my plate. Erm I mean desk.I don't eat books seriously. Although I DO devour the words and stories.

So I am currently 10% into Firefight. I am halfway through rereading Harry Potter for the 5th time. I try and read the series once each year. Why? Because I feel a strange sense of calmness and solace when voraciously hunting down sentences.

 

And the librarian at my school forced me to start reading DragonLance by the dudes (and dudettes) that created Dungeons and Dragons. It's not bad but a bit steriotypical not to mention how somtimes it completely smashes the mold.

This was the conversation with my ibrarian.

 

Me: Hey Miss, did you buy any Sanderson books over the holidays?

Librian: Who's Sanderson? What sort of books does he write?

At that moment in time I agreed wholheartedly with Alcatraz that all librarians were evil (at least mine)

Me: Fantasy, Sci Fi and a little comedy

Librian: FANTASY!!?? Well, we have a great selection of amazing fantasy writers here! You can't have read EVERY single book here!

Me: *Um yes I have* (at least the decent ones)

Librarian: Theres Pierce! Weissman! *rattles off a selection of age old writers*

Me: Well, they can't be as good as Sanderson

Librian: *picks up a tattered old book*, checks it out for me and hands it to me

Me: THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN STORMING 1987!

Librarian: Well, then I can't blame you if it falls to pieces.

Then I left.

 

So the book's full name is actually

DragonLance. Chronicles.Volume one. Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

Meh

EDIT_ 500th post!

Edited March 1, 2016 by A peasant among wolves

[Left he/him]

My dad read that book to me when I was little. I don't remember a lot, but they were fun then. I'm pretty sure they haven't held up that well, but I've never gotten around to a reread.

[Argent he/him]

I haven't read Dresden and I don't intend to in the near future. I somehow do not think I would like it.

 

I firmly believe you are making a mistake here. Dresden has very little in common with Alera, and from all the people I've talked with about it, the only ones with a negative opinion have been the ones you had stopped after the first few books. Obviously the decision is yours, and I won't push, but the Jim Butcher ranks very high on my list of authors I recommend to friends, probably right after Brandon and Rothfuss. 

[Orlion Blight he/him]

Don't listen to Argent, maxal! Dresden Files destroy families!

[Argent he/him]

Don't listen to Argent, maxal! Dresden Files destroy families!

 

Yeah, because it's that good

[Briar King]

Dragon lance is really good for what it is:old school fantasy.

[Dunkum he/him]

I definitely liked DragonLance back when I read it in middle or high school.  that said, I've done some rereads of the old fantasy books I read back then, and I am finding that not a lot of them hold up (and even the ones I still enjoy don't seem quite as good as they once did).  there are a few exceptions, but in general I wouldn't bet on any particular book or series still seeming as good as I thought it was.  Dragonlance very much included

[StormingTexan he/him]

Finished Calamity which was a little disappointing.

Back on a Sci-Fi kick and started The Old Mans War series. Flew through the first book and on the second one now. Liking it so far.

I really need to get back on WoT I just can't seem to find the motivation to do it for some reason.

Thinking about rereading The Name of the Wind.

Oh and Hunger Games I actually liked book 1&2 a lot even most of book 3 until the ending

Edited March 2, 2016 by StormingTexan

[Left he/him]

Soul Music, the only book in the Death sub series of Discworld that I haven't read.

I'll also be starting Temeraire book 7 soon.

Also re reading the obscure manga, Hoshin Engi.

Almost finished with a re listening of Raising Steam.

I have about a hundred pages left in A Blink of the Screen.

I'm going to listen to Dodger as soon as I finish Raising Steam.

Yikes, I'm really on a Pratchett binge.

[Briar King]

Finished Bands so back onto Outlander 2.

[Sunbird she/her]

It's finally my turn for Bands of Mourning on the library hold list, so Naomi Novik is getting put on hold until I finish BoM!! I'm 18% in and have already highlighted several funny quotes. I love the new kandra. "Can I have your skeleton when you die?" XD

[Darkness Ascendant he/him]

It's finally my turn for Bands of Mourning on the library hold list, so Naomi Novik is getting put on hold until I finish BoM!! I'm 18% in and have already highlighted several funny quotes. I love the new kandra. "Can I have your skeleton when you die?" XD

New Kandra?

Spoilers.

[Argent he/him]

New Kandra?

Spoilers.

 

Hardly a spoiler, actually. There is a kandra who shows up fairly early, chapter 3-4, his name is VenDell. He is the quest giver in this book

[Pestis the Spider she/her]

Me: THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN STORMING 1987!

I have to say that I don't understand this attitude against older books. Really 1987 is not even that old, and there are plenty of great fantasy and sci-fi books published in XX century. I actually enjoy some of them more than Sanderson's books. Yeah, some of the older books might feel a little cliche, but it's because they created the cliche. 

[StormingTexan he/him]

^ Oddly that goes double for me regarding Sci-Fi which you would think gets dated pretty quick with the technological advances over the last 20 years making some of the older Sci-Fi elements everyday items for us. Still I typically like older Sci-Fi more than current with a few exceptions.

[Dunkum he/him]

I have to say that I don't understand this attitude against older books. Really 1987 is not even that old, and there are plenty of great fantasy and sci-fi books published in XX century. I actually enjoy some of them more than Sanderson's books. Yeah, some of the older books might feel a little cliche, but it's because they created the cliche. 

Age definitely isn't inherently good or bad, so long as the writing is up to snuff.  Tolkein was published decades ago and LoTR still holds up better than most series. Plus 1987 is when Mort was published, and is therefore the first time we really got an in depth look at Discworld's Death. I'd rate that book higher than pretty much every single work I know of by at least a few more recent authors (cough Rowling cough).

[Sunbird she/her]

Finished Bands of Mourning last night. Storming LOVED IT. Today I plowed through 80% of Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik, which I had put on hold to read BoM. I liked it and especially its ending better than some of the previous books in this series.

 

Now I'm in the middle of Three Slices, a collection of 3 novellas that I bought mainly because one of them is from the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.

[Darkness Ascendant he/him]

Hardly a spoiler, actually. There is a kandra who shows up fairly early, chapter 3-4, his name is VenDell. He is the quest giver in this book

yes but I have only read up to book 3 in the Mistborn series

now I'm curious

[Hood he/him]

Finished Storm Front. I loved it. I loved Dresden's dialogues. Though they were not as good as Locke Lamora's. Still it was hugely entertaining. Now, I am onto Fool Moon.

[Guest]

Age definitely isn't inherently good or bad, so long as the writing is up to snuff.  Tolkein was published decades ago and LoTR still holds up better than most series. Plus 1987 is when Mort was published, and is therefore the first time we really got an in depth look at Discworld's Death. I'd rate that book higher than pretty much every single work I know of by at least a few more recent authors (cough Rowling cough).

 

I agree with this post. Simply because something dates from the last century does not mean it isn't worth reading/watching. The 80s aren't exactly prehistorical times either, some of us grew up in the 80s...

 

This being said, I did notice certain trends when it comes to both movies and books. In fact, I'd argue the trends I notices in movies, at the turning of the century, are now being seen in books. It is something I wanted to write for a while, just to see what others take was on it.

 

Being huh older than the average forumer, I happen to have been old enough to witness a certain change when it comes to movies. It started in the 90s, about when special effects and CGI started to blossom. A whole new world was then discovered and movie makers thought they had to extensively use it. It wasn't long before movies became lame excuses to display a wide series of special effects with little plot development to hold them together. Mission Impossible 2, Matrix 2, Star Wars Episode 1 are all movies which suffered from this trend: little story, no character development, just a string of endless special effects which generally included a car race or two. Those were terrible movies, pretty movies, but quite empty plot wise. It was all about pacing, pacing, pacing, action, action, action, visual effects, visual effects visual effects while completely forgetting the key element which makes stories compelling: character development and wise plotting. The slow movement of a story, the quiet building up of tension, back in the days where special effects weren't so easy to make, producers had to play on their viewers emotions and sense of dread in order to create good movies. Alien 1 and 2 are a good example of this.

 

Somehow, this was lost, somewhere around 1997. Today, I would say this trend is slowly moving away as recent movies seem to have got back some of the 80s playfulness while investing more on character development then they were in the past. I am hardly an expert though, considering the fact I don't see many movies nowadays, so others may have something to add on the matter. These merely are my impressions.

 

This being said, the reason I talked about movies was to fall onto books as I have noticed or I am noticing a growing trend in books. Pacing seems to be the new word. If a book is guilty of not presenting an action sequence in too many pages, readers would call it boring, saying "nothing happens" and discard it as if stories had to be endless strings of battle.... Just as movies were at the turning of the century. 

 

How many comments I have read, mostly on Reddit, of people stating they found WoK boring because "nothing happens"... Plenty happens in WoK, but the book isn't just one giant fight which I fear is what some readers were expecting. I worry about this growing trend, probably because I saw what it did to movies and I didn't personally like it, hence I worry. In the past, we have seen authors such as GRRM or Jordan making their story derail by focusing too hardly on side plots and not enough on the main one: I fear they may have set a trend. The trend of "what not to write" and hence authors, even our own beloved Brandon, have decided on a common accord to focus on pacing and making the main arc move forward, no matter the cost. 

 

I have just finished Codex Alera. I thought the story was a good one up until the last books where its weaknesses became more obvious and overly annoying. What were they? The fact the story focused practically solely on Tavi which as to be one of the most boring character ever. Why is he boring? Because he is perfect, he has no edge, no drama, no emotions: he is bland. On the reverse, side characters such as Crassus and Maximus had a promising start, they had edges and great potential for drama, but they were painfully under used up to the point where they became nothing more than lackeys, completely irrelevant and unimportant to the overall main story arc. When I realized these characters would never be more than minor underdeveloped characters, I lost most interest I had in the series. It was also re-emphasis by having Kitai joined the rank of Tavi as one of fantasy most boring and one dimensional character: to think I liked her in the first books. 

 

What happened in this story? How could something which started up so well, with a good idea, a good setting, good start-up characters to begin with? Pacing. It was all about the pacing to get to the end battle which was won in the same way, every single book. There were other reasons, but pacing was one and I worried.

 

I am worried we are starting a new trend in books, one where action and pacing takes it all, superseding the need to explore the characters more as these scenes aren't action-filled and thus deemed boring by some. I fear that, by writing too many action-paced stories, authors have created the expectation, within readers, that a story had to written in such way.

 

As a result, I wouldn't discard any story written in another century: there was good in older stories. There was more cliche, true, but stories such as WoT carried such an intensive development: I wouldn't have seen it reduced in order to concentrate more. It would have removed everything which makes it so unique... IMHO.

 

As to the topic at hand, I have ordered SoS and BoM. They should get here shortly.