What Are You Reading, Part 2

[almeldiel]

I've decided to go with Hunger Games first, as there's been buzz about the movies on Tumblr and I want to be in on it. Also I'm looking for something lighter since I just finished WoK. So my dad is borrowing the first one from a co-worker for me. Should have it tomorrow evening. YAY!

Yay! Well, THG is rather dark, but yeah, it should be considerably "lighter" in tone than WoK. Enjoy!

[WriterDan]

House of Chains. All I can say so far is: Karsa freaking Orlong--just whoa, cool. Loving this.

[Joe ST]

House of Chains. All I can say so far is: Karsa freaking Orlong--just whoa, cool. Loving this.

Aye to that, Karsa is AWESOME

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

I finished The Hunger Games today. I like it a lot, the ending felt weak, though. There's a chunk just before the climax where they let all the tension out, and it shows. The ending would have been awesome if they had kept that tension up. Good thing I have 2 and 3 on hand!

[fireflyz]

I read two books this past week, both excellent though completely different. The first was Dan Wells's Night of Blacker Darkness. This was just a fun read. There was a lot of situational humor. I won't go into too much detail, but if you've been through high school english classes or love the classics then you will find a lot of cool references/appearances throughout the novel. I can see why Dan had trouble marketing this book. It's definitely in between niches, but I love that he put it out there anyway. I'm not a huge fan of self publishing as I think it's rare that you'll find a self published author who is just as good if not better than those who found a market in the traditional way. Having said that, I think established authors throwing out side projects, novellas, or books that seemingly aren't "marketable" by epubbing is a great development. For $4.99 this book is a steal, highly reccomended if one is looking for a quick, enjoyable, and whimsical read.

The second book I read was What it's like to go to War by Karl Marlantes. Marlantes is a decorated Vietnam Vet who served in the Marines as a 2nd lieutenant. He wrote another book that is historical fiction based closely on his own experiences called Matterhorn. He's also a Yale graduate and Rhodes Scholar. This book is basically his way of showing what it's like to go to war as a combat soldier and the ways to mentally and spritiually handle what you will experience. I don't want to go into my personal experienceswith serving in Afghanistan (6 years in the infantry, 3 as a sergeant). But this has helped me tremendously. I've been home for nearly three years and been out of the military for almost one and I can honestly say that it's rare for a day to go by without me thinking about it in some way, even if just a minute or two. And I had nowhere near the experience that Karl did. If you're a writer and want to know what it's like psychologically to deal with combat, pick up this book. If you're in the military under a combat MOS, pick up this book. If you know someone who is, buy them this book. It's that good.

As a note, for writers I reccomend this over On Killing by Lt. Col. Iforgethisname. I know Howard Tayler reccomends his book, but it's complete fiction. There is a small segment of the population who can kill without compunction, but there is a larger segment that can and will kill. The idea that all SF or infantry or police are "good" sociopaths is a lie. There's a reason why infantry basic involves ramming bayonets into human dummies while screaming at them to die. There's a reason why machine gun trigger squeezing to get off controlled sprays of 9-12 rounds can be accomplished by thinking "die, insurgent, die." It's because a lot of us can be conditioned to kill. As Karl points out, 18-22 year olds are not known for their introspection and that makes them good killers. There is a threshold when it comes to pulling the trigger...the military lowers that threshold...eventually combat situations remove it entirely. I remember coming home from Benning as a 19 year old and one of the first things I told my Mother when she asked what my job was that "I'm a paid killer." That's the mindset instilled...and it's not restricted to a small portion of civilization.

Anyway, rant over. Good reading and if a lot of Karl's policies were adopted by the military I think a lot of post deployment problems would be mitigated if not eliminated.

[almeldiel]

I finished The Hunger Games today. I like it a lot, the ending felt weak, though. There's a chunk just before the climax where they let all the tension out, and it shows. The ending would have been awesome if they had kept that tension up. Good thing I have 2 and 3 on hand!

Cool! You're right about the ending. I'm not sure if it can be attributed to Suzanne Collins' scriptwriting background. But I'm glad you have the next 2 on hand.

I've finally found a copy of The Way of Kings, and I'm about to start. I was about to start yesterday, but I just stared at it and got a little bit scared.

[Emeralis00]

Just got finished reading Lord of Flies. It was not good.

[Sigyn]

Has anyone read Deus Irae by Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny? I tried reading it and only made it in thirty pages before deciding that I didn't care about anyone in the world or anything they were doing. Does it get better or am I better off leaving it alone?

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

Didn't they promo that book on Writing Excuses at some point recently?

[Sigyn]

I have no idea. I thought they usually promo-ed newer books.

[Alliare]

Re-reading The Three Musketeers, after having went to the movies this weekend and got a mental image of Alexandre Dumas shouting from Heaven: "But what did you do with my poor, beautiful novel!?"

Having a lot of fun, actually, it's probably one of the first books I ever read, so the way I look at many things now... it's quite different. But I cannot help but feel sympathy towards Richelieu.

[Sigyn]

I'm reading Sung in Blood by Glen Cook. It's a fun story, and the characters have almost no back story. No angst. It's different.

[whynaut]

Mr. Monster is good, but IMO the weakest of the trilogy. The whole series is thought provoking and well done so don't take that as a criticism not to read. I think this could be my perception because of how dark John becomes. The last book is simply amazing though, so there is that to consider. They're also relatively quick reads.

In the end I did decided to finish the John Clever series before I started another one and finished the last two books of the trilogy this week. I can see why you said that the second book was the weakest. While still a great book in its own right, 'Mr. Monster' only pales when compared to the other two. The third book 'I Don't Want To Kill You' in particular was indeed amazing. I can count on one hand how many times a book has actually got me choked up by the end and this is definitely one of them. I am really glad I finished this series and am especially eager now to read 'A Night of Blacker Darkness' and any of the future books Wells has coming down the line.

[Adrienne]

I've finally found a copy of The Way of Kings, and I'm about to start. I was about to start yesterday, but I just stared at it and got a little bit scared.

Hah I felt the exact same way! After being stuck with the never ending WoT series starting one that large and with so many books planned is daunting! It's totally worth the read though!

I finally finished everything by Peter Brett and Brent Weeks. I started The Long Prince Quartet Saturday.

[Emeralis00]

Just finished Irons in the Fire by Juliet McKenna

Edited October 10, 2011 by Emeralis00

[PeterAhlstrom]

I'm still reading fanfiction. Currently on Bishonen Senshi Sailor Moon, in which guys in the Ranma cast become Sailor Senshi (Usagi etc. don't exist). It's pretty funny. And last week I got to the current chapter of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (longer than Way of Kings), which I highly recommend.

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

Enormous fanfics that are as long (or longer) than their source material scare the crap out of me. I've heard good things about most of them, but I can't imagine that kind of timesink.

I finished Catching Fire last week, definitely weaker than The Hunger Games, the plot felt kind of lost. I've read the first couple of chapters of Mockingjay, and am very unsure as to whether I'll enjoy it. Katniss's attitude is bugging the crap out of me.

[Sigyn]

I read Give up the Ghost by Megan Crewe, which was thoughtful, and now I'm reading Nova by Samuel Delany.

[Yados]

Currently, I'm reading Infinity Blade: Awakening and The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

Both short.

This is good because The Cold Commands by Richard K Morgan just came out. Can't wait to get started on that. I liked The Steel Remains so much I almost read it all in one sitting.

[Alliare]

I'm still reading fanfiction. Currently on Bishonen Senshi Sailor Moon, in which guys in the Ranma cast become Sailor Senshi (Usagi etc. don't exist). It's pretty funny. And last week I got to the current chapter of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (longer than Way of Kings), which I highly recommend.

I LOVE fanfiction! Good fanfiction, that is. I like to see there is someone else with the same ideas.

I will definitely check those two, it has been a long time since I read any Sailor Moon fandom... and I never read any Harry Potter fanfiction, so it seems a good start.

And, in exchange, I'll recommend you The Last Ringbearer, by Kirill Yeskov, which is also fanfiction. It's, well, a novel of The Lord of the Rings events by the Mordor dwellers... 269 pages in .pdf, really worth it.

[almeldiel]

Hah I felt the exact same way! After being stuck with the never ending WoT series starting one that large and with so many books planned is daunting! It's totally worth the read though!

I've gotten over the awe and intimidation that The Way of Kings inspired, and I'm now about 275 pages in. Loving it so far, though I'm taking it slow because I want to make sure I understand all the details there.

It'll be a while before I can get over being intimidated by Wheel of Time, though. Maybe after WoK?

I'm still reading fanfiction. Currently on Bishonen Senshi Sailor Moon, in which guys in the Ranma cast become Sailor Senshi (Usagi etc. don't exist). It's pretty funny. And last week I got to the current chapter of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (longer than Way of Kings), which I highly recommend.

I've heard that there are indeed some pretty good Sailor Moon fanfics out there, but I only personally read Harry Potter ones, and I'm actually looking for a good long one right now. I haven't heard of Methods of Rationality yet, but I'll look it up. Thanks for mentioning it.

I finished Catching Fire last week, definitely weaker than The Hunger Games, the plot felt kind of lost. I've read the first couple of chapters of Mockingjay, and am very unsure as to whether I'll enjoy it. Katniss's attitude is bugging the crap out of me.

I still think the first book is the strongest in the series.

Katniss is not very agreeable for most of Mockingjay, actually. It's just fun seeing Collins up the ante in the last book. I'm curious to find out if you'll like Peeta's characterization in Mockingjay, Silus.

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

I just finished Mockingjay. And I just have to say that the ending was

awful.

SPOILERSNOSERIOUSLYTHERESFREAKINGHUGESPOILERS

So she sets up these really high stakes. Get to and kill Snow, or else Gale, who's been captured, is a goner, probably Peeta too. The tension is crazy high. She gets to the President's mansion, and there's the kids outside, the human shield and I'm like, "that JERK!" totally waiting for Katniss to get in there and push through and kill him off, probably having to confront some major moral obstacle, which she'll overcome by a show of character growth (probably involving Peeta, who also overcomes his challenges up to that point in such a scenario). And then they drop the parachutes. BOOM. The kids die, shocking, but I'm thinking, "Now she REALLY needs to get in there and take him out!" Then Prim rushes in as a medic. Then the second bombs go off. "NOOO WAAAAAY." Chapter break.

So what am I expecting? Her to get through it! To go in there and avenge her sister, kill the President and rescue her friends! Does ANY of that happen?

NO

She wakes up in a hospital after an extended dream sequence. The good guys won, the President is waiting to be executed, and all that happened while she was asleep. WHAAAAAAT!?!?

So there's depressing stuff. Then a revelation of who actually got her sister killed (the new person in charge, OF COURSE). Then a vote as to whether to have another Hunger Games-

WAIT JUST A GOSHDARN MINUTE. WHAT IS THAT BULLCRAP.

The districts are mad, calling for the Capitol's blood, and the new President comes up with the amazing[/sarcasm] idea to have another Hunger Games using the children of high ranking Capitol officials as tributes.

Peeta, as usual, is the voice of reason, echoing my sentiment of "WHAT IS THAT BULLCRAP!?" So the seven remaining tributes are allowed to vote on it.

The established sadistic ones vote yes, two votes. Peeta and the two other nice people vote no, three votes. That leaves Katniss and Haymitch. I expect Haymitch, being the bitter old guy he is, to vote yes here, leaving Katniss to show her character growth HERE and vote no. Who votes next? Katniss, voting YES.

WUT

Then Haymitch votes yes.

WUT

AND THEY GO ON THEIR MERRY WAY.

(needless to say, my sympathy for Katniss is now shot)

Then there's Snow's execution. Katniss, instead of shooting Snow, shoots the one responsible for killing her sister. Fair enough, expecting that. Then she decides to commit suicide, but is thwarted, repeatedly. The following pages are SUPER DEPRESSING. And she's basically exiled to District 12, along with Haymitch. *shrug*

More SUPER DEPRESSING. Now Peeta's moved in. Okay, I guess.

MORE SUPER DEPRESSING. District 12 is now repopulating. Peeta and Katniss get together, but it feels, really, really hollow. They have a couple of kids.

THE END

Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah.

[almeldiel]

@Silus: Like I said, the first book is the strongest book.

[Silus - Shard of Flame]

Most definitely. I'm looking forward to the movie.

[Rotting Zombie]

Warbreaker

Startide Rising by David Brin

Edited October 15, 2011 by Rotting Zombie