Give me your favorite book series. I will read them.

[officiumdefunctorum]

@TheOrlionThatComesBefore

I haven't read that short story, so I couldn't judge it, but The First Law is solid. He takes a rather sardonic approach to grimdark, something that relies on twists of fate more often than the machinations of things, though there is plenty of that to be sure. Mainly, I found his writing to be amusing, and he does a good job of making you think twice and again about the measure of the characters. The cast of characters he creates is outstanding, and there was never a time when POV changed where I was like "not this again".

As for second apocalypse, I'll wait until I've finished Malazan to read The Unholy Consult, and then I'll decide if my soul really wants more of Bakker. There is a lot to appreciate about what and how he writes, and I get it, I do, but--like with George R.R. Martin,(I'm still not sure I actually liked ASoIaF)--the incessant horror and complexities became more tedious than anything else. I suppose that's just my sensibility. *shrug* 

Edited September 20, 2017 by officiumdefunctorum

[Orlion Blight]

@officiumdefunctorum I understand! Some works require a certain frame of mind to read and enjoy. If you can't get to that frame, or if getting to that frame is detrimental, you won't have a good time with it.

[Assembler]

Read the web serials Worm, Twig, and Heretical Edge.

[jondoe]

Ryria Revelations by Michael J Sullivan

[+Wax]

On 25/08/2017 at 9:33 PM, officiumdefunctorum said:

I read so much it is more or less my second job. I prefer audiobooks because I teach and trying to read the traditional way leads to unintentional naps and then sadness when I'm up too late and then up early again.

I'll put it this way. The collective wheel of time series stands about 460 hours in audiobook form. Round about 19 days. I binged it in less than two months, and then did it again this summer. I need a queue from reliable sources.

Notable things I've read and enjoyed (which is most things, really):

Gentleman Bastards, Scott Lynch

The First Law, Joe Abercrombie

Obviously Sanderson, though I didn't care so much for Mistborn.

Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan/Sanderson (current and crowned favorite)

Farseer books (all three trilogies), Robin Hobb

A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin

Harry Potter, Rowling (proud Slytherin)

Tolkien's books, including the oddments, though I've yet to tackle Beren and Luthien.

Explicit sex and violence/gore don't bother me, and I rather enjoy a slew of foul language but still like stuff that doesn't have it. More into fantasy than sci-fi, and I'm not looking for your stereotypical dystopia, so don't you dare recommend A Handmaid's Tale. I need character driven fiction. I want flawed people to love and hate. Batman, not Superman. Magic is cool but not necessary.

Honestly, if you approve of the series above and have something unlisted you couldn't put down or stop reading/listening to, it'll probably end up on my list anyway. Like I said: I always need something to read. I have also been known to enjoy things others don't like, for stupid reasons, so just throw stuff out there. I'm thinking about Outlander but a reliable source is iffy on it.

SEND ME YOUR BOOKS, THE LONGER THE BETTER.

Don’t bother with Outlander.  Doesn’t work on audio.  I’ve listed a variety of genre as well on audible and have 400h plus audio on my account.

I have listened to audiobooks on audible as well and can tell you my favourites.  I’ll select the ones which have been the most memorable and are on my top lists and worth multiple re-listening.  Sorry for including sci fi / dystopian.  But all these are highly character driven AND have great storylines.

And I am being picky, eg I consider Dresden chauvenistic and gentleman bastards simple.  My theory is I want to listen to the best and have books that I can listen over and over.

1. Curse of Chalion (fantasy) - lois mcmaster bujold (LMB).  The greatest single fantasy book ever in terms of a build up and the eventual payoff, IMO.  Hugo nominee I think. Has a standalone sequel “Paladin of Souls” as well that won the Hugo.  Multiple re-listen rating 6/5 for CoC and 4/5 for the follow up “Paladin of Souls”

2. Vorkosigan Saga (space opera - light sci fi) - LMB again - best enjoyed when starting with “Shard of Honor” even though there are couple of unrelated standalone prequels.  Best off reading in internal chrono order available from fan sites.  Multiple re-listen rating 4/5.   Special mention to Shard of Honor and the novella Borders of Infinity for unsurpassed dialogues and punchlines.

3. Suzanne Collins Hunger Games series (dystopian young adult)- You may have seen the movies, but reading them is very different.  The movies are an OK effort but the emotional strings that Suzanne pulls are amazing.  People were a bit iffy about the end of the trilogy because of it being such a tear jerker but I loved it.  Re-listen rating 4/5.

3. Ender’s game (sci fi opera) - re listen rating 2/5 but it was very different until Suzanne Collins came in with her hunger games series with a dystopian world for kids.  Rest of Ender series and all other ender or Orson Scott Card are to be skipped despite all temptations.  They are all rust.

4. The life and times of the thunderbolt kid (memoir & history)- by Bill Bryson - SUPER FUNNY book as a memoir format of life in the 50s Iowa for the author.  The toydi jar story will keep you laughing at random points during your week.  Re-listen rating 5/5

5.  Surely you’re joking Mr. Feynmann (collection of autobiographical material)- A collection of notes, stories and other bits about the Nobel prize winning author and SUPER FUNNY as well.  Strange experiments in trying to smell the floor, dealing with Einstein, and playing pranks on other Nobel prize winners were some of his antics.  And he would go to a strip club to sit in a corner and think mathematical problems.  So, there you go.  Re-read rating 3/5.

6.  Ghost in the wires - Kevin Mitnick (autobiography) - A hair raising inside view of hacking by the world’s first hacker to be jailed.  And if you thought he may have hacked email or something... hell no.  He hacked everything including phones to make long distance calls for free back in the 80s/90s.  Truly mesmerising to see his accomplishments in hacking and how his life operated or fell apart around that.  Re-read rating 2/5.

If you like this, then I can give you more recommendations.  Eg Neal Stephenson’s books are about 50h each.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by axcellence
Minor correction- Iowa

[Madness]

Curious if @officiumdefunctorum finished The Unholy Consult :)?

EDIT: My bad, missed an above post. Squeezing the entire Malazan saga before listening to/reading TUC might be ill-advised but damnation can you inhale content ;).

On 9/20/2017 at 11:47 AM, TheOrlionThatComesBefore said:

@officiumdefunctorum I understand! Some works require a certain frame of mind to read and enjoy. If you can't get to that frame, or if getting to that frame is detrimental, you won't have a good time with it.

If you pizza when you're supposed to french fry, you're gonna have a bad time.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Madness

[officiumdefunctorum]

9 hours ago, Madness said:

Curious if @officiumdefunctorum finished The Unholy Consult :)?

EDIT: My bad, missed an above post. Squeezing the entire Malazan saga before listening to/reading TUC might be ill-advised but damnation can you inhale content ;).

Well I started Dust of Dreams today, so I'll be getting around to TUC around the end of the month I'd think.

And I definitely wasn't kidding about reading being my second job. I've watched TV shows for the first time since August just this last week. Trying to unconsciously avoid the end of Malazan, maybe.

[AngelEy3]

1 hour ago, officiumdefunctorum said:

Well I started Dust of Dreams today, so I'll be getting around to TUC around the end of the month I'd think.

And I definitely wasn't kidding about reading being my second job. I've watched TV shows for the first time since August just this last week. Trying to unconsciously avoid the end of Malazan, maybe.

I managed Malazan from April to August, but only reading 1 out of 2 days. Can't wait to do it again in a few years. 

[Briar King]

You better. And don’t forget ICE!

 

Outlander is actually really good from the 1-3 I have read. I think it was actually misplaced in Romance till the show put it in spot light. Now it’s in fiction atleast but I’d like it better in Fantasy. That is some bricks of books. I still have 4-6 at house to read and those last 2 are 1400pgs... 

[Ammanas]

5 hours ago, Briar King said:

Outlander is actually really good from the 1-3 I have read. I think it was actually misplaced in Romance till the show put it in spot light. Now it’s in fiction atleast but I’d like it better in Fantasy. That is some bricks of books. I still have 4-6 at house to read and those last 2 are 1400pgs... 

I have not read these books, but thought that people read them for the steamy sex scenes. Kind of like a Scottish 50 Shades of Grey. How would you describe the series and what do you like about it?

[Briar King]

There is much less steamy sex/romance/lovey dove bits then I was expecting after yrs of dismissing it on the Romance rack. It’s there but it takes a back seat to the fun story. I just like being in the 1700’s with Clare knowing what comes in the future all the while slowly gaining a bit of knowledge of the Druidic feeling mystical mumbo jumbo. That’s not a very good answer because I’m trying to avoid dumping spoilers and also because I have only read 1-3. I have seen people get very upset around bk 5.

[Bright Lord]

On 8/25/2017 at 11:33 PM, officiumdefunctorum said:

I read so much it is more or less my second job. I prefer audiobooks because I teach and trying to read the traditional way leads to unintentional naps and then sadness when I'm up too late and then up early again.

I'll put it this way. The collective wheel of time series stands about 460 hours in audiobook form. Round about 19 days. I binged it in less than two months, and then did it again this summer. I need a queue from reliable sources.

Notable things I've read and enjoyed (which is most things, really):

Gentleman Bastards, Scott Lynch

The First Law, Joe Abercrombie

Obviously Sanderson, though I didn't care so much for Mistborn.

Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan/Sanderson (current and crowned favorite)

Farseer books (all three trilogies), Robin Hobb

A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin

Harry Potter, Rowling (proud Slytherin)

Tolkien's books, including the oddments, though I've yet to tackle Beren and Luthien.

Explicit sex and violence/gore don't bother me, and I rather enjoy a slew of foul language but still like stuff that doesn't have it. More into fantasy than sci-fi, and I'm not looking for your stereotypical dystopia, so don't you dare recommend A Handmaid's Tale. I need character driven fiction. I want flawed people to love and hate. Batman, not Superman. Magic is cool but not necessary.

Honestly, if you approve of the series above and have something unlisted you couldn't put down or stop reading/listening to, it'll probably end up on my list anyway. Like I said: I always need something to read. I have also been known to enjoy things others don't like, for stupid reasons, so just throw stuff out there. I'm thinking about Outlander but a reliable source is iffy on it.

SEND ME YOUR BOOKS, THE LONGER THE BETTER.

The name of the wind

The golden lion

Dawn of wonder 

 

[Bright Lord]

The name of the wind

Golden lion

Dawn of wonder 

 

[officiumdefunctorum]

Update:

Finished Malazan yesterday. Allow me to flail around in simultaneous grief and frustration at how the fates of so many characters remain unresolved.

Six chapters into The Unholy Consult. Honestly, I'd stop reading it if I didn't need to know what happens. Bakker's writing style is just... obnoxious in a way I can't quite describe.

I'll be perusing all your recommendations for what to read next, since I'll probably be done with this one by the weekend.

[Briar King]

Don’t forget there is other Malazan by co creator Ian Esslemont takes place before, during and after the main 10 and a prequel trilogy of which only 2 are here by Erikson still to get to.

[Ammanas]

21 minutes ago, Briar King said:

Don’t forget there is other Malazan by co creator Ian Esslemont takes place before, during and after the main 10 and a prequel trilogy of which only 2 are here by Erikson still to get to.

Dancers Lament is so much fun! Its lighter, faster, and the easiest malazan installment to date. Its almost as Brandon Sanderson decided to write a malazan novel. I know that many love the complexity, puzzles and philosophy of a typical malazan novel, but it was such a refreshing change of pace from the Kharkanus books!

Edited October 20, 2017 by Ammanas

[AngelEy3]

1 hour ago, Ammanas said:

Dancers Lament is so much fun! Its lighter, faster, and the easiest malazan installment to date. Its almost as Brandon Sanderson decided to write a malazan novel. I know that many love the complexity, puzzles and philosophy of a typical malazan novel, but it was such a refreshing change of pace from the Kharkanus books!

Is Dancer's Lament the newest one? 

@officiumdefunctorum I had the same feelings at the end of Malazan, but decided that it worked after some consideration. I find myself daydreaming in that world more than any other since I finished. 

Edited October 20, 2017 by AngelEy3

[officiumdefunctorum]

@Briar King Yes, I'll get to the others eventually. Unfortunately they're not available in audiobook form as far as I can tell... I'll have to look more.

@AngelEy3 daydreaming and speculation is my greatest pleasure. I am a lover of fanfiction, after all. In any case, it was all the little things I loved about Malazan. I will never take for granted a dog peeing on Hood's boot.

[officiumdefunctorum]

Update:

The Unholy Consult is killing me. I'm bored with it, at this point, and I've only got a couple chapters left.

I need something to look forward to. Where do I go next?

I've got the first books of both the Demon Cycle and The Dagger and the Coin ready to go, but anything is on the menu as long as it's not Bakker.

No offense to anyone who likes his stuff, but I've got an inkling now of why some people consider Tolkien a snooze. Too many opinions, not enough time. More follows if you want to read about my complaints.

 

Spoiler

The depravity has lost all shock value, and the endless questions have given way to indifference. Am I too dumb for it? I doubt it. I think he just went really far out of his way to turn Tolkien-esque fantasy on its head, transforming the archetypal quest/walk into an "ordeal" that can only be achieved by genocidal, compassionless intellect. By suicidal fanaticism.

Valor and rousing speeches are revealed as fraudulent. Victories are couched in the guise of wanton murder. The gods not only aren't watching, but are indifferent to mortal plights of choice. This obviously philosophical undertaking wouldn't bug me half as much if it weren't so... lofty. By all means, turn Tolkien on his head. But stop using his voice to do it. I'm rolling my eyes at the parallels. They're no longer intriguing.

 

[Briar King]

Try Gene Wolfe. This man is a word master. Very challenging but highly rewarding. Solar Cycle series or Latro series. 

[Orlion Blight]

@officiumdefunctorum Great, so because you OD'd on Bakker, you'll never trust another one of my suggestions! 

[officiumdefunctorum]

11 minutes ago, TheOrlionThatComesBefore said:

@officiumdefunctorum Great, so because you OD'd on Bakker, you'll never trust another one of my suggestions! 

Lol, not to worry. SA was interesting enough to get on with at first, and then the last book was just... More of the same. I'll happily accept more of your suggestions.

[The Invested Beard]

Deathgate Cycle by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman is one of my all-time favorites. You should check it out.

[officiumdefunctorum]

Update:

I read the first of the Malazan novels (Esslemont), and started The Dagger and the Coin because payday is a few days away and I haven't had a chance to get to the library, yet.

Thank you all for your continued suggestions!

[GeneralHZRD]

Personally I like The Bright Empire series. It has pretty good characterization and world building and an interesting and engaging story.