What Are You Reading?

pH

Just finished Wise man's fear, overall I was dissapointed compared to the fist, but still a good read, and at this stage I have to read the last when it's published.

Not sure what next, maybe try and get back into Dark Tower Book IV ...

JD1763

Currently reading City of Bohane by Kevin Barry. Finished Wise Mans Fear at the weekend really enjoyed it, cant wait till the next one.

Eugh Dark Tower

Typical Stephen King, builds it all up and then can't write a good ending. The Dome was the same. I've given up reading his books at this point

nesf

A Game of Thrones finished. Torn between going straight into A Clash of Kings or interspersing my reading with something different instead.

Glebee

nesf wrote: »

A Game of Thrones finished. Torn between going straight into A Clash of Kings or interspersing my reading with something different instead.

Half way through A Clash of Kings at the moment and finding it hard going..

nesf

Glebee wrote: »

Half way through A Clash of Kings at the moment and finding it hard going..

I didn't find it that bad on my first read I must say. It was many years ago though, so I might be mistaken. Don't remember ever finding GRRM a tough read to be honest. Though I still haven't forgiven him for giving Sansa so many chapters.

ixoy

Currently on "The Way of Shadows" by Brent Weeks. Maybe it's because I'm reading it just after Miéville but I'm not impressed so far. Seems quite pedestrian - both in prose and story. It could get better - right now, I'm not sure why it was as successful as it has been.

Zapp Brannigan

ixoy wrote: »

Currently on "The Way of Shadows" by Brent Weeks. Maybe it's because I'm reading it just after Miéville but I'm not impressed so far. Seems quite pedestrian - both in prose and story. It could get better - right now, I'm not sure why it was as successful as it has been.

Pedestrian, that's being nice.

The book just didn't click with me. He also writes long gaps in the story which annoyed me.

ixoy

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

The book just didn't click with me. He also writes long gaps in the story which annoyed me.

I'm 28% of the way through and it still isn't clicking with me either. The characters seem all a little clichéd too: oh Blint is a tortured soul with the young orphan will help him find happiness. He even wears an emo cloak.

Speaking of which, I saw the ragged orphan storyline very recently in "The Final Empire". It was done a lot better there and the character growth felt more realistic. In this book Azoth's life seems to jump in starts and there really isn't the same sense of development.

Nodin

ixoy wrote: »

I'm 28% of the way through and it still isn't clicking with me either. The characters seem all a little clichéd too: oh Blint is a tortured soul with the young orphan will help him find happiness. He even wears an emo cloak.

Speaking of which, I saw the ragged orphan storyline very recently in "The Final Empire". It was done a lot better there and the character growth felt more realistic. In this book Azoth's life seems to jump in starts and there really isn't the same sense of development.

I laughed. Internet Cookie/Beer for you.

nesf

A Clash of Kings finished. Probably a different author before I read A Storm of Swords I think.

Dan_Solo

After a break I've come back to Metaphase by Vonda McIntyre. A rest isn't as good a change in this case. I was hoping the action would pick up a bit, but it's just one long mush of whiny emotional problems. It may as well be set today on Earth there's so little real SF going on.
Dreamsnake had a bit of this which I enjoyed but this is pretty vom inducing. It's book 3 of 4 and I won't be hunting down the rest.

Shryke

nesf wrote: »

A Clash of Kings finished. Probably a different author before I read A Storm of Swords I think.

A Storm of Swords is amazing. Don't put it off! Both parts combined are one of the best books I've read.

Echolalia

I'm reading "Gardens of the Sun" by Paul McAuley, directly after finishing his "the Quiet War". before that it was Robert Charles Wilson's "Julian Comstock" All excellent reads.

Coriolanus

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Johnny Storm

Garnder Dozois's Years Best Sci Fi for 1993
I got it in (genuinely) as new condition from a seller on Amazon.com for USD14 plus shipping. And its signed by the man himself.
I now have all his Years Best from 1990 to date. Not that I'm obsessive or anything.

ixoy

Currently 7% of the way through "The Quantum Thief" by Hannu Rajaneimi. Some hard sci-fi - inventive so far and intriguing. Hope it keeps up.

InReality

The ending of the Dark Tower was

truely terrible. To the extent that King knew that himself and tried to stick an "explanation" for it in his afterword.

I liked Weeks. lots going on AFAIR.

Reading Under Heaven by Guy G. Kay

Bits_n_Bobs

ixoy wrote: »

Currently 7% of the way through "The Quantum Thief" by Hannu Rajaneimi. Some hard sci-fi - inventive so far and intriguing. Hope it keeps up.

Thought that was an excellent book.

About to start Necroville by Ian McDonald. Gave up The Dervysh House half way through, just never really grabbed my attention, so hoping I will enjoy this one more.

Echolalia

Johnny Storm wrote: »

Garnder Dozois's Years Best Sci Fi for 1993
I got it in (genuinely) as new condition from a seller on Amazon.com for USD14 plus shipping. And its signed by the man himself.
I now have all his Years Best from 1990 to date. Not that I'm obsessive or anything.

I have them all from 88 myself (except 89 and 92), and the're worth getting obsessive about! I've started "the name of the wind" great so far, and i don't usually read much fantasy.

Johnny Storm

Echolalia wrote: »

I have them all from 88 myself (except 89 and 92), and the're worth getting obsessive about! ...

Cool!

Nodin

......been reading a bit of reality there lately, but as a break from the violence I went through "Market Forces" by Richard Morgan - darkly humourous, yet very resonant particularily if you're old enough to remember Thatcher(well it was for me).

Also "Thunder & Steel" by Dan Abnett - collection of Warhammer Fantasy stories. Quite good, easy on the brain.

TwoShedsJackson

Playboy wrote: »

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.

Currently halfway through the second book in this series and loving it, thanks for the recommendation

ixoy

Not really sci-fi/fantasy so much as supernatural, I'm currently reading "Black House" by Stephen King & Peter Straub. Enjoying it so far, despite the fact that again we're in a homes-y small American town.

JD1763

"despite the fact that again we're in a homes-y small American town" - just wait for the Deus Ex Machina aliens to turn up!!


Currently on book 3 "The Order of the Scales" by Stephen Deas. Satisfying enough read, sort of a lighter/shorter version of a Song of Fire and Ice - they both have dragons, betrayals, wars, machiavellian characters, etc.

mcgovern

mcgovern wrote: »

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.

Finished this, was some good, some ok, and a few absolute stinkers.
Now reading Imperial Earth, by Clarke, and can't help but think I've read it before...

Zapp Brannigan

"Crack'd Pot Trail" By Erikson. Another one of his short stories about the two necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal.

jcrowbar

Just finished "The Evolutionary Void" by Peter F. Hamilton and I have to say the Void series is probably one of the most entertaining reads that I've ever had. There's characters there that I'm genuinely going to miss.

Have started Jon Ronson's "The Psychopath Test" to take a break from Sci Fi for a few days.

ixoy

Alongside "Black House", I'm also reading a book of short stories entitled "Things That Never Happen" by M. John Harrison. The stories so far are full of creeping decay, reminding me a bit of China Miéville (who is a fan).

Temptamperu

Im reading A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin and towers of midnight by Brandon Sanderson.

Taking a break from Science Fistion and Fantasy and rereading The Ghost of Sleath by James Herbert. Been years since I last read it and raced through it, have something like 20 pages to go but haven't had 5 minutes all day to sit down and finish it.