Orlion Blight

As far as what Bakker fans mean? Seems to mean rereading the series as they waited for Bakker to finish the Aspect Emperor series. Bakker, I think, used it to wryly refer to how long it was taking him to finish the series after White Luck Warrior. To be sure, the "series" isn't over, just the first two seasons.

Inspired by recent conversation in the Malazan thread: Listening to an audiobook is not reading.

That's why I don't really do audiobooks. They can ruin a book if not done properly.

Death's End by Cixin Liu. So far, it is sooo good!

Many Fantasy authors like to believe that the genre is highly literary and sophisticated. I won't tackle that, instead I'll comment on fantasy readership. They tend not to be sophisticated (though they think themselves to be so) and want something much more base than experimental. As a result, the Kharkanas trilogy was always going to struggle. Regardless of whether or not it was done well, it does not give what Malazan readers want, which is simply lore to give the Malazan World more depth.

I prefer French Sharders

I mean, it pretty much all ready exists in The Book of Lost Tales Part 2. I can't imagine him using a lot of other sources. As far as him saying he would never do that, back in Children of Hurin days, he said he wouldn't do one for Beren and Luthien or the Fall of Gondolin, so his word is pretty worthless

Grumble!

Another series I need to finish! Fifth Season was fantastic!

It's a convenient position that he has, his post modern technique of "history is different depending on who tells it!" It allows him to write off any screw ups as "part of how stories change in the telling" instead of him not keeping any notes.

I, too, am technically still alive!

Because it's fun.

I mean, in the comics Thanos can reverse engineer some Celestial tech and solve complex problems, including coming up with a plan to defeat Galactus and the Beyonder... he's pretty rational, I would say. He just lacks any empathy (which is a huge difference from movie Thanos)

I have not read the third one yet. The main thing that people find "weird", I guess is actual character development. One could argue it has little to no bearing on the story, but I would argue that if you only read for story/plot, you aren't really reading. With my little soapbox speech out of the way, the first two books do offer a pretty complete story. I had to go straight to the Dark Forest after Three Body Problem, but have been able to take a year break for Death's End, not because I didn't like it, but at least as far as I can tell, a lot of the major plot points get resolved pretty satisfactorily by the end of Dark Forest. Enough that I can get lost in other books!

I need to finish that trilogy. Loved Three Body Problem and The Dark Forest! The Dark Forest did kinda kill the book club I was in at the time... but I've never been part of a book club that could survive thoughtful science fiction!

I saw Ken Liu in a couple panels at Readercon. He said a significant number of readers complained to him that the Dandelion Dynasty did not "feel Chinese" After a laugh from the audience he then said that he aimed to write an Chinese fantasy that "did not feel Chinese. " The implication being that he was avoiding Western expectations of Chinese culture, history and society.

Definitely would not be for the uncool and uncouth!

Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

You two will never reach the end of RotCG! For, to read the whole book you have to read half the book first! And before that, you have to read half of that! And half of that! And so forth ad infinitum! It is impossible to make it past the first page!

@Briar King I'll believe it when I see it!

In the Peanuts comic strip, there was an ongoing gag where a couple of Snoopy's cousins were forever traveling to try to visit their common relative, Spike. They never made it, and I don't think you'll ever finish Return of the Crimson Guard https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/peanuts/images/a/ab/19980217.gif/revision/latest?cb=20171025012829

Zane

Absolutely. Less is more in the case of Odium, and he just talked and schemed waaay too much in Oathbringer. He essentially became a cheesier, more incompetent version of Lord Foul the Despiser.

I'll believe it when I see it!

"Division by Zero" is a fantastic short story by Ted Chiang!