What Are You Reading?

Playboy

Just ordered the first part of the First Law triology based on reccommendations here! Hopefully it will live up to the praise!

Just finished A Wise Mans Fear and loved it. dont really mind that the story hasnt moved on a lot as long as he doesnt rush the 3rd book .. Would happily read it as a 5 or 6 book series.

Going to start reading Gardens of the Moon again too soon. Read it when it came ou first and really liked it but as I was waiting for the second book I went off fantasy for a while and havent gone back to it. Looking forward to reading it now that that the series is finished.

Playboy

pH wrote: »

Wind by Rothfuss, enjoying it, but maybe I had too high expectations for it ...

I wasnt too fussed for the first third of the book either but it really picks up and was hooked by the end.

JD1763

Just put in an order for China Mievilles "Embassytown", Paoulo Bacigalupis "Shipbreaker", Ben Aaronovitchs "Rivers of London" & "Moon Over Soho" and Wiseman's Fear 2 "The Kingkiller Chronicle". First one has been on the shelf for a while but its definitely next on the list following the recommendations here. Currently working through "The Enterprise of Death" by Jesse Bullington.

I am reading wise man's fear. While I enjoy the book in general, the whole "I'm poor I'm poor I'm poor" thing is getting pretty old

TwoShedsJackson

Playboy wrote: »

Just ordered the first part of the First Law triology based on reccommendations here! Hopefully it will live up to the praise!

The First Law trilogy is amazing. Glokta, one of the best characters ever

Teyla Emmagan

"A Feast for Crows". Spent the bank holiday weekend reading the earlier books in the "Game of Thrones" series - up to 3 am each morning, brings me back..

sentient_6

I'm on to Reaper's Gale. In the states at the moment & the Tor version that can only be got here has a terrible cover, looks like a worse version of the old cover on RJ's The Great Hunt. Doesnt fit the style of the books at all, but maybe i've gotten used to the Bantam publications. Can't go wrong for $10 though. (i spend the equivalent of ~16 euro each on Midnight Tides & the Bonehunters in New Zealand :eek:)

JD1763

Hate the US covers on some of the titles, Terry Pratchetts are particularly poor. Struggling with Midnight Tides, just can't get into it with the shift from House of Chains. Is it possible to just skip on to the Bonehunters without really missing anything?

ixoy

JD1763 wrote: »

Hate the US covers on some of the titles, Terry Pratchetts are particularly poor. Struggling with Midnight Tides, just can't get into it with the shift from House of Chains. Is it possible to just skip on to the Bonehunters without really missing anything?

No. It's not really possible to do that with any of the books. Everything's connected

Ronanc1

Theres just something about US fantasy covers they've always got too much going on in them, that and the insistence on having characters portrayed on the cover leads to a real dorky old fashioned selling point of all fantasy books, i always thought it funny because the uk releases are normally so toned down and look way better imo. Prime examples are the wheel of time

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/1857230272/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books

and

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/spiffyish/books/challenges/greathunt.png

Just finished the Endymion Omnibus. Suffered a little bit with pacing at some points but overall I loved it, shame that there is no more of it.

ixoy

Ronanc1 wrote: »

i always thought it funny because the uk releases are normally so toned down and look way better imo. Prime examples are the wheel of time

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/1857230272/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books

and

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/spiffyish/books/challenges/greathunt.png

Yes but we used to use those covers here too - only on re-release did they change them.

In general though you're right. One of my favourites is for Erikson's "The Bonehunters":

UK Cover:


v.s.:

US Cover:


The US one makes it look like Santa crashed his sleigh...

sentient_6

JD1763 wrote: »

Hate the US covers on some of the titles, Terry Pratchetts are particularly poor. Struggling with Midnight Tides, just can't get into it with the shift from House of Chains. Is it possible to just skip on to the Bonehunters without really missing anything?

Midnight Tides gets really good. Stick with it. Loads of stuff wont make sense later. Or more like everything.

ixoy wrote: »

The US one makes it look like Santa crashed his sleigh...

Saw that in the shop alright. Horrible. I do have to say one thing though. The paper quality on the US print seems to be far better. The spine isnt creasing at all. Where as my copy of the Bonehunters is looking worse for wear after one read.

Ronanc1 wrote: »

Prime examples are the wheel of time

Funnily enough it was the orginal cover of Eye of the World(which i think is cool enough) which made me randomly pick it up when i was 13/14. Hate them new black covers.

Ronanc1

Ha god that Bonehunters cover is ghastly, santas sleigh is right

Dan_Solo

Black Sheep wrote: »

Anyone read James Lovegrove's 'Age of Ra' / 'Age of Odin' / 'Age of Zeus'? They look interesting, but equally appear amazingly similar too - are they a series or the same story told with three different ancient pantheons or something?

Dan_Solo wrote: »

Synopsis sounds a bit SG1, doesn't it...

And the first few pages read like a novelization of an SG1 episode, fire lances and all. Plus the writing style is abysmal, like most hardcore military SF.
A skip for me...

Ok that's the end of WMF, next up is tad williams shadowmarch

Bits_n_Bobs

Currently reading City of Bohane by an Irish author called Kevin Barry. Not even a hundred pages in and I have no hesitation in strongly recommending it, one of the most original reads in a long time, fabulously written - purposefully limiting myself to 40/50 pages a day just to savor it.

pH

Playboy wrote: »

I wasnt too fussed for the first third of the book either but it really picks up and was hooked by the end.

bluewolf wrote: »

I am reading wise man's fear. While I enjoy the book in general, the whole "I'm poor I'm poor I'm poor" thing is getting pretty old

Finished The Name of the Wind, it did pick up, and overall I really enjoyed it and can see why it's so highly recommended. That said, there were some themes that did get old quite quickly like the financial aspects (as mentioned above "Oh I've got 8 talents ... oh wait no I don't") and "mmmm a woman what do I do?".

They are minor issues though, so onto The Wise Man's Fear next.

I forgot how difficult tad williams is to get into

Playboy

Just ordered book 2 of R Scott Bakkers new Aspect Emperor triolgy .. The White Luck Warrior. Really loved the first book so hope this is as good.

sentient_6

Playboy wrote: »

Just ordered book 2 of R Scott Bakkers new Aspect Emperor triolgy .. The White Luck Warrior. Really loved the first book so hope this is as good.

May i ask if you read the Prince of Nothing books & if so what you thought? I hope to start it once i finish the Malazan series.

Playboy

sentient_6 wrote: »

May i ask if you read the Prince of Nothing books & if so what you thought? I hope to start it once i finish the Malazan series.

Yes I have read them. This triolgy is a direct continuation of that story ... its just set a few years in the future and with many of the same characters.

The Prince of Nothing series is one of my all time favourite fantasy series. I love Bakker's style. Its quite different to a lot of fantasy in a sense as there is a lot of metaphysical philosophical musing by the author. This is because he was doing a Phd in philosophy when writing it. Its very dark .. much a like a greek tragedy in parts.

Shryke

I finished Matter by Banks and thought it ended a little strangely but I liked it all the same for being a bit different.
I then read Gridlinked by Asher. It didn't take me long. I know it is his first novel but it was a little incoherent plot wise. Overall it was good and I'd read something else of his but it was fairly rough around the edges.
I'm now reading The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers. He's always a pleasure to read.

Zapp Brannigan

After a wee break from Fantasy (was reading some Murakami) I'm back!

Now (finally after my entire re-read) reading Tower of Midnight. Sh*t's about to go down, I can feel it!

nesf

A Game of Thrones. Rereading in the hopes of getting ready for the next installment.

About a third of the way into tad williams' shadowmarch, I'm not too pushed. I'll read it, but I doubt I'll be rushing off for the rest of the series.

ixoy

"Embassyworld", the new book from China Miéville. His first sci-fi novel - but that doesn't mean there isn't the trade mark weirdness. He's exploring concepts of language here and - into the bargain - I'm encountering more made-up terms and words than I have since "Anaethem". Intriguing so far (25% of the way through).

Johnny Storm

Just finished "Stations of the Tide" by Michael Swanwick - I'd give it a guarded recommendation - beautifully written but a bit too twisted.

mcgovern

Finished A Clash of Kings, really enjoyed it, and so wanted to start straight into the 3rd book, but seeing as he's not the most profilic writer, trying to pace myself.
Started The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty Fourth Annual Collection.

alchemist33

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - breathtaking in parts. I think I'll miss it when i've finished.