What Are You Reading?

OwaynOTT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121336159#Comment_121336159

Oh I’ll definitely finish it. Have to, it’s a Bookclub book and it was my choice

lordgoat

Read book 1 of Peter V. Brett Demon Cycle - tedious and a not going back for any more.

shootermacg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121381236#Comment_121381236

Hmm, I read all the books. Overall I liked the books. It opens up a bit when they move to the middle eastern type of stuff.

Glebee

40% through Book 3, Ruin from The Faithful and the Fallen series. Slogging through this series if I'm honest. Just can't get into it at all and have little or no interest in what happens. Only one character is the books grabbing my attention at all. Hate leaving books or series infinite shed so will stay going.

ixoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121384552#Comment_121384552

Do not read the sequel series. It's much more tedious.

CalamariFritti

Read the new Murderbot novel(la?) 'System Collapse' and it's another solid instalment of my 2nd favourite sci-fi series.

Concludes the Grey People planet storyline from the previous book, but it's not samey.

Mild spoiler alert

Spoiler Warning

Whole new story what with reinforcements both on the Barish-Estranza and University of Mihara and New Tideland side. ARTs humans are being developed, we get new SecUnits and even other ships like ART across another very solid Murderbot adventure story.

It's a very solid 4/5 albeit a bit shorter than the previous (meh). Worst thing about it is we'll have to wait ages for the next one now.

lordgoat

Bone Shard Series -Andrea Stewart - annoying series that I just want to finish to see how it goes.

Bang average writing, and then this happened and then this happened etc etc. Now let me explain the characters feelings to you through words ... a lot of words.

interesting magic system and world. 6/10.

Thargor

Ive been saving the Stormlight Archive for years due to it not being finished and me being a bit of a book hoarder but the complete lack of any decent releases this year made me give it a go over Christmas, meh, its not great is it? All a bit generic and bland, then again I look at the page count and see Im doing a few hundred pages a day so at least its readable.

lordgoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121561276#Comment_121561276

Finished the last book, total garbage. Don't bother.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121561970#Comment_121561970

Stormlight is great but you kinda need to buy into the connections with all his other series and overall Cosmere. If I hadn't read Mistborn I don't think I'd have given Starlight the patience. Book 5 ain't out til December so you can pace it. But I think it's great and worth the investment. Book 5 brings a lot of cosmere stuff to a wrap for now.

Thargor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121566129#Comment_121566129

Seriously? Mistborn and the rest didnt even cross my mind, also Id never even heard the word Cosmere, will do a bit of reading into it thanks. As I said Im tearing through it so Ill definitely read them, its the same as The Wheel of Time, irritating but cant put it down.

lordgoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121566442#Comment_121566442

Man... I have no words... I'd nearly say google - cosmere reading order - and pick one.

I'm also assuming this is all you did today.

Thargor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121566853#Comment_121566853

Well Ive read them all I just never made the association. It doesn't seem to really affect the actual plot anyway tbh.

lordgoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121567796#Comment_121567796

kinda starts getting mixed in from SA3/4 on - ghostbloods. If you've read them all have a look here for the connections:

https://17thshard.github.io/reading-order/#/

Glebee

After slogging my way through to the end of The Faithful and the Fallen series wanted to get into something a little more lightweight. Started into Rivers of London series, so far very good, just the palette cleanser I needed. Not sure if its a young adult read but im really enjoying so far.

lordgoat

Read Under Heaven by GG Kay. Loved it. Best thing I've read in ages.

Thargor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121842896#Comment_121842896

Yes its amazing, theres a sequel called River of Stars aswell, also excellent.

Thargor

Read "The Stars are Legion" because Im an idiot who gets recommendations from Reddit and Goodreads.

I thought it might be alright at first, big fleet of worldships falling apart with no idea how any of the tech works or where they came from. Its one of the worst things Ive ever read, its just ridiculously stupid and boring. Also the main character has amnesia so you know what that means when its time for the big reveal at the end!

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569810#Comment_121569810

That Diagram is amazing (Taravangian would be proud) and I know many people get very hung up on reading order. A friend of mine recently started on Sanderson and spent ages planning out his Cosmere reading order. TBH, I just tend to read in publishing order. I have really only read Stormlight and Mistborn sagas and the first book of Elantris. And yeah, I think you did see them linking a bit more in Era 2 of Mistborn (I won't say any more of course).

I enjoy his books for what they are: Relatively old school and safe. But easy to fly through. I do find them quite samey. I suppose you could say that is to be expected as they are all one part of same universe but structurally, they are quite similar. They are almost written to be easily converted to TV/Movie

I'm rereading Stormlight before book 5 comes out and. (Spoilers for Words of Radiance (Strormight Book 2)

Spoiler Warning

You could practically see this on HBO or something. Episode 9 of 10. Szeth turns up at Shattered Plains, does his thing. Raises Dalinar. Then booooooosh, in comes Kaladin in superhero landing. Crash cut to credits.

Last Episode: Kaladin/Szeth flight fight; Shalan/Oathgate; Dalinar/Strormfather; Adolin/Sadeas. Credits. Mid credit: Jasnah/Wit

Non readers lose their sh*t

keane2097

I'm randomly listening to Name of the Wind on audiobook. Christ, it's a lot ropier than I remember.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861118#Comment_121861118

Did they ever finish that series?

Glebee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861663#Comment_121861663

No, and don't think there is any sort of indication when it will be finished either.

lordgoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861118#Comment_121861118

always was an enjoyable story that needed an ending to be considered anything other than good.

Have a bit of sympathy, if he had a good editor the second book would have been different and not painted him into a corner but if I recall there's no way he can write his way out of it due to conflicts that are now written. Remember reading on it years ago but don't remember the specifics anymore.

Currently reading the new murderbot, enjoying it but not as much as pervious ones. Going to go back to GGK after this and then reread Stormlight over the summer.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863231#Comment_121863231

Have a bit of sympathy, if he had a good editor the second book would have been different and not painted him into a corner but if I recall there's no way he can write his way out of it due to conflicts that are now written. Remember reading on it years ago but don't remember the specifics anymore.

I read the (2?) books a couple of years ago. Thought they were interesting enough at the time but, TBH, I can't remember a single thing about them now. As for a good editor: Aye, this is called the GRRM-Conundrum: Do you let your writer write whatever they want so they come out with more and more books - Expanding a trilogy into a never-ending saga? Or do you rein them in, help them avoid dead-ends and conflicts and get a coherent FINISHED story?

As for them potentially being ropier than you remember. As I said, I can't remember ANYTHING about the books but it is interesting how that can happen. I remember loving Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on Sunset Strip" when it came out. Said I'd rewatch it.... Oooooh boy did that not age well. What originally came across as a sweet budding romance really came across as stalkerish post #metoo and other really dodgy aspects.

Thargor

I was enjoying the Stormlight Archive up until book 4 but now its gone very waffley with all the Spren stuff, having to force myself to push through, definitely taking a break after this.

Started Exordia by Seth Dickinson, very interesting first contact theme so far, getting its hooks into me now:

Exordia by Seth Dickinson | Goodreads

lordgoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869096#Comment_121869096

I didn't enjoy SA4 until the last third. Which is fantastic and a really good set up for the next one.

TheIrishGrover

I must read part 2 & 3 of Three-Body Problem. I must admit I was a bit underwhelmed after hearing so much hype about it. I thought the start was very interesting but once you found out what was going on with experiments etc, I lost much of my interest (Tried to be vague).

Having said that, I must root out the Chinese series 'cos that Netflix show looks to only have the most tangential connection to source material.

I have no problem with adaptations as long as there is SOME resemblance but, take for example "World War Z" They basically only kept the name. I didn't see the point in using the name when it was just another Fast-Zombie movie. Would have been great as a one-season, 10 episode HBO "Documentary"

shootermacg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869096#Comment_121869096

I decided to give it a go after all the praise, even though Sanderson is a terrible writer. Yeah, that arty girl is just one of the worst written unlikable characters ever written. It's like these books are an exercise is making 1 word into 100 words. I decided to just give up mid book, life's too short.

Thargor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888066#Comment_121888066

Oh God yeah when he tries to be witty and its just childish insults and snark, absolute cringe reading it.

lordgoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888066#Comment_121888066

you should give David Eddings a go.

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121842896#Comment_121842896

That was the first I read of his and also loved it, went back and read most of his other stuff which is all pretty enthralling stuff. In a similar vein, I just finished The Poppy War last week which was entertaining but didn't have near the same depth as Under Heaven.