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What Are You Reading?

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    #1442
    pH
    Registered Users Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    Just finished Lies of Locke Lamora, got to say it's as good as everyone says it is - gets off to a sparkling start, and while it has one or two slower patches and doesn't sustain the writing of the beginning all the through it's still one hell of a read.


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    #1443
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,988 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    On to "The Third God", the final book in Ricardo Pinto's "Stone Dance of the Chameleon" trilogy. 900 pages ahead of me but it's good to get back to some fantasy which seems original in a saturated genre.


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    #1444
    OwaynOTT
    Registered Users Posts: 10,533 ✭✭✭✭OwaynOTT


    Just finished The Winds of Khalakovo and I have to say it was excellent. Also just finished Flowers of Algarnon by Daniel Keyes and I got through that inside a day.


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    #1445
    vasch_ro
    Registered Users Posts: 1,432 ✭✭✭vasch_ro


    ixoy wrote: »
    On to "The Third God", the final book in Ricardo Pinto's "Stone Dance of the Chameleon" trilogy. 900 pages ahead of me but it's good to get back to some fantasy which seems original in a saturated genre.

    going to give it a try have reserved a copy in the library for pricely sum of 50 cents, also going to give Lies of locke lamorra a go too ( another 50 cents!)

    Read the Orcs omnibus edition over Christmas, it just seemed a little simple and underdeveloped, but its easy to get into and features plenty of action so it that's your thing its easy reading maybe more of summer beach type of book.


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    #1446
    mcgovern
    Registered Users Posts: 4,267 ✭✭✭mcgovern


    Finished The Departure, wasn't great, ending was fairly obvious long before it happened, like most of the story. World got less believable as it went on, writing got a bit better but story wasn't great, characters pretty one dimensional. All in all, disappointing and I don't think I'll bother with the next instalment when it comes out.
    Had been reading Charles Stross articles on publishing etc on his blog, which reminded me I had a copy of Iron Sunrise sitting on the shelf from before I got my kindle, so have started that next.


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    #1447
    Sleepy
    Registered Users Posts: 24,149 ✭✭✭✭Sleepy


    Just finished Inheritance. Bubblegum for the brain and predictable enough ending. Did like how Paolini used a substantial section of the book to deal with the aftermath of series' events rather than the usual "10 years later" epilogue...

    So, next to start? Mistborn, Wheel of Time or Malazan? Thinking Mistborn simply because it's a trilogy and I can reasonably hope to have it finished this year!


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    #1448
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,988 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    mcgovern wrote: »
    Finished The Departure, wasn't great, ending was fairly obvious long before it happened, like most of the story. World got less believable as it went on, writing got a bit better but story wasn't great, characters pretty one dimensional. All in all, disappointing and I don't think I'll bother with the next instalment when it comes out.
    Shame. I'll probably still read it but I've got "The Technician" and "Shadow of the Scorpion" first.

    By the way, you might be interested in picking up "Vivisepulture", which is a collection of short stories by various authors, including an unpublished short story by Neal Asher. It's only $1.22.


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    #1449
    mcgovern
    Registered Users Posts: 4,267 ✭✭✭mcgovern


    ixoy wrote: »
    Shame. I'll probably still read it but I've got "The Technician" and "Shadow of the Scorpion" first.

    By the way, you might be interested in picking up "Vivisepulture", which is a collection of short stories by various authors, including an unpublished short story by Neal Asher. It's only $1.22.

    Thanks for the heads up.
    The beauty of Whispernet/Kindle. In work, so had a sample sent to the Kindle app on my phone. It happened to contain the Neal Asher story so I was able to read it without paying for it and Tony Ballantyne is the only other author on the list I've heard of, but, its $1.22 and I'd feel bad about not paying it, so 1 click and its now been sent to my Kindle. Bit disturbing though that I can buy it without it asking for my password, but if I want to check my history I have to enter it!
    Ordered Snow in the Desert while I was at it. Short story by Neal Asher for $1.70.


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    #1450
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,988 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    mcgovern wrote: »
    Ordered Snow in the Desert while I was at it. Short story by Neal Asher for $1.70.
    Already have it as it's the same story as contained in "The Gabble and Other Stories".


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    #1451
    mcgovern
    Registered Users Posts: 4,267 ✭✭✭mcgovern


    ixoy wrote: »
    Already have it as it's the same story as contained in "The Gabble and Other Stories".

    Damn, probably why I hadn't got it before now!


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    #1452
    vasch_ro
    Registered Users Posts: 1,432 ✭✭✭vasch_ro


    Sleepy wrote: »
    Just finished Inheritance. Bubblegum for the brain and predictable enough ending. Did like how Paolini used a substantial section of the book to deal with the aftermath of series' events rather than the usual "10 years later" epilogue...

    So, next to start? Mistborn, Wheel of Time or Malazan? Thinking Mistborn simply because it's a trilogy and I can reasonably hope to have it finished this year!

    I really enjoyed Mistborn, great story and its almost like there are two opposite stories going on at the same time, well done and original, I would really strongly recommend it, finished the 2nd one in the series "The Well of ascension" last night, its a little slower than book one , but is still very enjoyable and left me dying to read book three "The Hero of Ages"


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    #1453
    AnCapaillMor
    Registered Users Posts: 4,920 ✭✭✭AnCapaillMor


    Great books, the mist born. Dunno what it is sanderson, nothing significant will happen in a chapter but you can't wait to read the next. Going to start the alloy of law once i finish Andersons edge of the world books.

    Also got an audio version of feists magician for when i'm walking.


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    #1454
    Trojan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,402 ✭✭✭✭Trojan


    Just finished Surface Detail from Banks - entertaining but not up to his usual high standards.

    The overall plot concept had great potential, but I think it suffered poor implementation and editing - in particular it has a couple of seemingly important characters who weren't really explored in any detail and were mostly irrelevant to the story. Banks also did a bit of a Gemmell - wrapping everything up in the last 5 pages. The anti-hero felt bland and a bit stereotypical of the villains in Culture novels.

    The positive was the Culture, the look at the 3 specialist branches equivalent to Special Circumstances, and the ships - especially the Picket Ship Falling Outside The Normal Moral Constraints just awesome.

    Overall 3/5

    🎙️ The Recognized Authority Podcast



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    #1455
    vasch_ro
    Registered Users Posts: 1,432 ✭✭✭vasch_ro


    ixoy wrote: »
    On to "The Third God", the final book in Ricardo Pinto's "Stone Dance of the Chameleon" trilogy. 900 pages ahead of me but it's good to get back to some fantasy which seems original in a saturated genre.


    Just started The Chosen , about 100 odd pages in, its slow enough and certainly quite different but enjoying it none the less its strangely compulsive I just want to find out whats going on !!!


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    #1456
    Dades
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Finished On Stranger Tides - a breath of fresh air (despite being written decades ago). :)

    Started Slaughterhouse Five which I've never read. A bit difficult to get into... worth it?


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    #1457
    BlaasForRafa
    Registered Users Posts: 7,020 ✭✭✭BlaasForRafa


    I've just finished 1634 - The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber, the 3rd in the 1632 series. While its not great literature and it is padded out a bit too much, they are books that are very readable and hard to put down. It's not often I'd take less than a week to polish off a 1000+ page book.

    Next up is Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. Its the Fantasy/Sci-Fi book of the month at the local bookshop meaning there was about a euro off the cover price and if you don't like it you can return it for a full refund. Its the first Sanderson book I'll have read, if its good I may go back and start into the mistborn series.


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    #1458
    DublinWriter
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭DublinWriter


    Dades wrote: »
    Started Slaughterhouse Five which I've never read. A bit difficult to get into... worth it?
    Oh yes. Don't worry about the repetition of 'so it goes'...it's just the main character having a nervous breakdown.


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    #1459
    mikeyboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 196 ✭✭mikeyboy


    Just finished "Academ's Fury" the second book in the Codex Alera and not sure whether to continue with the series or not. It seems to be a bit predictable and I don't like the way some of the major characters never seem to speak, they growl, rumble or snarl. I'm really disappointed as I love the Dresden Files


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    #1460
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,988 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    vasch_ro wrote: »
    Just started The Chosen , about 100 odd pages in, its slow enough and certainly quite different but enjoying it none the less its strangely compulsive I just want to find out whats going on !!!
    You might like to check out the author's site here. He's got a lot of pages relating to the novel's world, including sketches/charts he used for various buildings, creatures, family trees, etc.

    Helpfully, you can view topics in a non-spoiler fashion as he breaks down books by chapters, linking these chapters to the relevant background topic. Definitely one of the more impressive sites for an author detailing their world.


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    #1461
    mcgovern
    Registered Users Posts: 4,267 ✭✭✭mcgovern


    Finished Iron Sunrise. Didn't like the first 20% or so and wasn't looking forward to it, then something changed, and I really got into it. It reminded me of someone else, not sure who, maybe Gibson's early (i.e. good) stuff, with a mix of Richard Morgan's Kovacs thrown in. Anyway, really enjoyed the rest of it, and would recommend it.
    Going to start Vivisepulture as recommended by ixoy, and next up I've decided I've waited long enough and will start A Feast for Crow's after that. Kindle version cost me more than a paperback would have, but prefer reading on the kindle so....


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    #1462
    OwaynOTT
    Registered Users Posts: 10,533 ✭✭✭✭OwaynOTT


    I enjoyed a feast for crows more than dancing with dragons.

    I'm currently reading CIty and the city by china mieville. Don't what it is but can't seem to get into it and as a result I picked up Terry Pratchett's Guards Guards.


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    #1463
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    i read that warbreaker book by sanderson last night
    quite enjoyable
    preferred the way of kings one though
    was laughing at Hoid popping up again in warbreaker :)


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    #1464
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    mcgovern wrote: »
    Finished Iron Sunrise. Didn't like the first 20% or so and wasn't looking forward to it, then something changed, and I really got into it.

    That was exactly how it was for me too. I didn't really like the start of Singularity Sky either though but Stross is firmly up on my favourite authors list these days.


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    #1465
    pH
    Registered Users Posts: 4,188 ✭✭✭pH


    I've just finished Red seas under red skies, the follow-up to "Lies". Overall I was left a little dissapointed, it's not that it's not a good book, just that it didn't live up to Lies. Certainly if you enjoyed the first you'll most likely enjoy this one too.

    Next to read is Ben Aaronovitch's Moon over Soho.


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    #1466
    Zapp Brannigan
    Registered Users Posts: 8,326 ✭✭✭Zapp Brannigan


    Picked up "Orb, Scepter, Throne" today in H&F, didn't even realise it was out!

    Won't be reading it for a bit as I've just started the Mistborn Trilogy.


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    #1467
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,988 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    Zapp Brannigan wrote: »
    Picked up "Orb, Scepter, Throne" today in H&F, didn't even realise it was out!
    Out today. How much did you pay for it? I'm kind of miffed that they're looking for $20 for the Kindle version.


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    #1468
    Zapp Brannigan
    Registered Users Posts: 8,326 ✭✭✭Zapp Brannigan


    13 euro. I'm just gonna pirate the Kindle version. I've no qualms about it because I bought the physical book.


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    #1469
    Sleepy
    Registered Users Posts: 24,149 ✭✭✭✭Sleepy


    I'm 26% of the way through the first book in the Mistborn trilogy myself Zapp, really enjoying it so far!


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    #1470
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Sleepy wrote: »
    I'm 26% of the way through the first book in the Mistborn trilogy myself Zapp, really enjoying it so far!

    I remember the days when we used to talk about page numbers ;)


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    #1471
    Zapp Brannigan
    Registered Users Posts: 8,326 ✭✭✭Zapp Brannigan


    Sleepy wrote: »
    I'm 26% of the way through the first book in the Mistborn trilogy myself Zapp, really enjoying it so far!

    Yeah it's a decent read so far. I'm 62% in. Although I know I'm gonna power through them and probably not give them the attention they deserve because I know I have Esslemont's book waiting in the wing!


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