What Are You Reading?

Thargor

nhur wrote: »

quick question for the Alistair Reynolds readers.... i've lashed through a lot of the books and i'm wondering if Galactic North is worth reading .. it's a collection of short stories, of which i've read a few... currently contemplating skipping it to get to the Prefect and Elysium Fire... love the complex ones. (then i'm off to read seveneves by stephenson)

Thoughts? am i going to miss anything significant in the short stories?

You wont miss anything critical or even significant but they're really good stories in one of my favourite universes, I read the whole thing in Gatwick airport in one day once, I always remember them when Im passing through there.

ixoy

ixoy wrote: »

34% into "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemsin, the first book in "The Broken Earth" trilogy.
I like the set up - good world building and what seems a fairly balanced magical system that's very relevant to the story. One little niggle is her use of having some chapters narrated in the second person - maybe there's a good reason for this, yet to be revealed, but it's sort of pointless so far.


I like his Stormlight Archive series and I did enjoy the Mistborn series but the latter is souring a bit in my mind. His ideas are interesting, especially his magic systems, but his writing can be quite weak at times.

Oh my god her trilogy had such a massive impact on me. Definitely stick with it you'll see

Thargor

bluewolf wrote: »

Oh my god her trilogy had such a massive impact on me. Definitely stick with it you'll see

Good, next on my list, after The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky which 50% in I am not enjoying at all even though I absolutely loved his Apt stuff and Children of Time. This is like someone trying and failing to do Apt fan fiction tbh.

Thargor

Trojan wrote: »

Red Rising 1-3 were superb. I started Iron Gold immediately after finishing book 3, but found that it was continuing on with fairly bleak perspective so I'll go take a break with something a bit more uplifting before going back to it.

Re-read Altered Carbon and Broken Angels. (~8/10 and 6/10). Started Woken Furies for the second time, and abandoned it again. I just can't get into it. Read some reviews on it and that's cemented that for me. Is there anything else of Morgan's that's worth looking at?

The Gemmell Awards long list came out, so I picked up a few of the book 1's listed that looked good - have just started The Fifth Ward: First Watch.

Has to be Aspect Emperor, the whole series is going to be remembered as one of the all time Fantasy classics, same for Prince of Nothing. An awful lot of that longlist is just irrelevant mush tbh, Im getting very picky with my fantasy these days, theres so much garbage out there since Game of Thrones went mainstream. I cringe looking at the fantasy section in Dubrays now, how many variations of the outcast boy/girl that everyone in the village dismissed who turns out to be the chosen one are there now?

Lady Haywire

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Finished the Empire trilogy, definitely didn't enjoy it as well as the Riftwar saga but perhaps that's because there's a lot more politics in it and I have a hard time keeping up with politics in this world, never mind a fantasy one!:D

Also read Neil Gaiman 'Fragile Things' and am not back to finishing the Terry Brooks Word & Void trilogy. I'd actually thought Running with the Demon was a standalone book until I found the other two by mistake so reading A Knight of the Word now.

Finished this, thought it rather good. Definitely kept me up a few nights! Will be more Terry Brooks on my reading list if anyone has recommendations? Shannara looks massive, worth it?

Also in the midst of that trilogy I read two career-spanning collections of George.R.R's short stories, Dreamsongs I & II. As I'm more of a fantasy than SF fan I had to struggle through a few of them but it made for interesting reading all the same.

Nody

Thargor wrote: »

Has to be Aspect Emperor, the whole series is going to be remembered as one of the all time Fantasy classics, same for Prince of Nothing. An awful lot of that longlist is just irrelevant mush tbh, Im getting very picky with my fantasy these days, theres so much garbage out there since Game of Thrones went mainstream. I cringe looking at the fantasy section in Dubrays now, how many variations of the outcast boy/girl that everyone in the village dismissed who turns out to be the chosen one are there now?

Highly doubt it; it's a Superman lead with lots of verbal diarrhea added to it and would greatly benefit from being cut down the urge to mention every single group every single time inc. describing how they look and their war cries and what color of underwear they are wearing that particular day. The only part that made it interesting were the people around him but they are also becoming supermen instead through drugs/godly intervention to grant the similar enough powers.

ixoy

Thargor wrote: »

Good, next on my list, after The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky which 50% in I am not enjoying at all even though I absolutely loved his Apt stuff and Children of Time. This is like someone trying and failing to do Apt fan fiction tbh.

Are you stalking my reading list? I read "The Tiger and the Wolf" last and your next book is the same as my current one :pac:

For what it's worth, I thought the book improved with the second half. It's not Apt territory yet though, more of a 3.5/5 book. On a related note, his book "Dogs of War" is under £2 currently for the Kindle.

shrapnel222

bluewolf wrote: »

Oh my god her trilogy had such a massive impact on me. Definitely stick with it you'll see

really enjoyed the inheritance trilogy. is this series in the same vein/same style?

shrapnel222

shrapnel222 wrote: »

really enjoyed the inheritance trilogy. is this series in the same vein/same style?

Yeah and i prefer this one personally

david75

bluewolf wrote: »

Yeah and i prefer this one personally

I have to get into these. Adored the inheritance trilogy.

Xofpod

La Belle Sauvage, Phillip Pullman.

Good first impressions...

Dades

Xofpod wrote: »

La Belle Sauvage, Phillip Pullman.

Good first impressions...

I found it took an age to go anywhere but the second half makes up for it.

Trojan

I’m looking for something light, easygoing reading - maybe along the lines of Pratchett (but not necessarily comedic). Any suggestions?

keane2097

Trojan wrote: »

I’m looking for something light, easygoing reading - maybe along the lines of Pratchett (but not necessarily comedic). Any suggestions?

The Senlin books may fit the bill if you haven't tried them already.

I read the first Inheritance book during the week and really enjoyed it, going to give the second one a spin.

Nody

Trojan wrote: »

I’m looking for something light, easygoing reading - maybe along the lines of Pratchett (but not necessarily comedic). Any suggestions?

Paksenarion trilogy, the merry adventures of robin hood and his men, Vatta's war series.

ixoy

49% into "The Vor Game" by Lois McMaster Bujold, another book in the Vorkosigan Saga. Enjoying this as much as the others - fast, fun, with a witty protagonist. It's a nice breather in between heavier tomes.

reece289

Trojan wrote: »

I’m looking for something light, easygoing reading - maybe along the lines of Pratchett (but not necessarily comedic). Any suggestions?

David Gemmell.

Or if ye want to go back a bit Jack Vance Dying Earth series.

Thargor

There is a sequel to The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds! How have I never heard of this? Elysium Fire.

His Revelation Space stuff is unmissable if you havent read it.

nhur

Thargor wrote: »

There is a sequel to The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds! How have I never heard of this? Elysium Fire.

His Revelation Space stuff is unmissable if you havent read it.

reading the prefect atm - it's only getting started though

Dades

Started "Breakthrough" because some days you just want some mildly techie shlop to escape to.

Michael Crichton-lite.

lordgoat

Coming to the end of the First Law Trilogy - J Abercrombie,

really enjoying it.

Anything similar ish out there?

mcgovern

lordgoat wrote: »

Coming to the end of the First Law Trilogy - J Abercrombie,

really enjoying it.

Anything similar ish out there?

Luke Sculls' Grim Company is quite similar and the first few I've read have been enjoyable.

laoch na mona

starting toll of the hounds, I've been reading the Malazan books of the fallen series on and off for a few years now

Trojan

I just finished Coldmaker by Daniel A. Cohen. It's interesting and a bit different. Very easy reading. I got it from the Gemmell Award long list.

ancapailldorcha

laoch na mona wrote: »

starting toll of the hounds, I've been reading the Malazan books of the fallen series on and off for a few years now

I've started Orb, Sceptre, Throne. Nearly finished the Malazan series...

vasch_ro

Nody wrote: »

Market forces & Black Man are both one offs which you may find interesting (they sure are cynical). The Steel Remains is fantasy/scifi which has Conan the Barbarian style guy as lead who's gay in a land where being gay is forbidden. Not the best series out there but makes for an interesting style of hero compared to normal fantasy.

got Steel Remains on your recommendation and so far I'm really loving it thanks !

Kiith

Back to the Malazan series after finishing Oathbringer. About 1/3 through book 5, and enjoying it more than i remember i did the first time.

lordgoat

really disliked the ending og book 3 of The First Law - it's like he got bored and wanted out.

wyrn

lordgoat wrote: »

really disliked the ending og book 3 of The First Law - it's like he got bored and wanted out.

Same here. I initially loved it but by the end I really found myself disappointed. Not sure why, could never put my finger on when I went off the series. I'm glad I'm not the only one who found this.

lordgoat

wyrn wrote: »

Same here. I initially loved it but by the end I really found myself disappointed. Not sure why, could never put my finger on when I went off the series. I'm glad I'm not the only one who found this.

This was the part that bothered me a lot!

He jumps out a ****ing window,

Anything else you'd recommend?