What Are You Reading?

Peter F Hamiltons Salvation Sequence will be finished with the release of the third book today (Kindle, hardback is in November), absolutely love his stuff and cant wait to read this series. Its a new universe nothing to do with the Commmonwealth or Federation:

https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Salvation-Sequence/dp/0399178880/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27ZZR5I47FZIH&dchild=1&keywords=saints+of+salvation&qid=1603944356&s=books&sprefix=saints+of+%2Cdigital-text%2C224&sr=1-1

PokeHerKing

Halfway through the 3rd book in Stephen Kings Dark Tower series.

The Stand is waiting on my bookshelf once I finish it.

I've decided to read every King book I can during lockdown 2.0.

baron von something

I recently read the 2 latest Dresden Files books. Peace Talks was utter rubbish. Probably my least favourite of the series.

Battle Grounds more than made up for it. Non stop from beginning to end. Very enjoyable. Hopefully we don't have to wait another 6 years for the next one.

I also just finished re reading The Collected by Joe Abercrombie which comprises of 6 books in his First Law world.

I'm taking a break now until the next Stormlight Archive book is released next month

shrapnel222

Nody wrote: »

While KotW is very much a set of short stories the second book is much more somber and consistent as one story (and highly recommended).

Thought the 2nd one was a really poor tbh. The first one was a hard one to follow, it was so much fun.

Really looking forward to seeing what he does next when he steps away from that world

Nody

keane2097 wrote: »

Not too sombre I hope

It takes a darker path for sure; not that it looses all the jokes etc. but it's no longer a monty python show of running gags and moves more towards a Blues Brothers kind of style. Still plenty of jokes but the tone is darker

Nody wrote: »

While KotW is very much a set of short stories the second book is much more somber and consistent as one story (and highly recommended).

Not too sombre I hope

bluewolf wrote: »

I did stop after about that many as well! i don't remember how far i got.
then amazon kept spamming them in my recommendations for ages ...

Yea, there's no way I'm reading 20 of them. Scrolled through Scribd for ages earlier looking for new ones & have the 'White Haven witches' series to try, along with Chuck Wendig's 'Blackbirds' which seems intriguing.
One annoying thing about Scribd is that it suddenly decides a book isn't going to be there anymore & just removes it from saved :mad:

Igotadose

Just finished "Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke, which I had posted about last week as I was so excited to have gotten it.

It is well written, but overall, pretty weak. Not much fantasy aspect to it, a bit of magic, and very little happens. Eventually I just waited for it to be over. I think she wrote it while experiencing a lot of illness and challenge in her life, and, sadly, it kind of shows.

[Deleted User]

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Starting to drag on a bit by book 9 :pac:

I did stop after about that many as well! i don't remember how far i got.
then amazon kept spamming them in my recommendations for ages ...

bluewolf wrote: »

Was it harley merlin?

Starting to drag on a bit by book 9 :pac:

Nody

keane2097 wrote: »

I'm listening to Kings of the Wyld on Audible at the moment. Dunno where I got the recommendation for it but I'm grateful as it's an absolute tonic. It's medieval style fantasy but the main characters are a bunch of washed up former mercenaries getting back together after years for one last job. It's very funny and most enjoyable

While KotW is very much a set of short stories the second book is much more somber and consistent as one story (and highly recommended).

The White Feather

I am reading Mockingbird by Walter Tevis. Really enjoying it so far as its about people in a dystopian future not reading anymore. A scary thought to me!

I'm listening to Kings of the Wyld on Audible at the moment. Dunno where I got the recommendation for it but I'm grateful as it's an absolute tonic. It's medieval style fantasy but the main characters are a bunch of washed up former mercenaries getting back together after years for one last job. It's very funny and most enjoyable

bluewolf wrote: »

Was it harley merlin?

Sorry, yes, Harley Merlin!!!

[Deleted User]

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Whoever mentioned Harley Davis, I hate you, I'm now stuck in them.
Also read the 'Lake of Sins' series, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34390325-escape

Was very good, easy reading & a nice change from the usual bogey monsters.

Was it harley merlin?

Whoever mentioned Harley Davis, I hate you, I'm now stuck in them.
Also read the 'Lake of Sins' series, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34390325-escape

Was very good, easy reading & a nice change from the usual bogey monsters.

keane2097 wrote: »

Just started the new Dresden Files book. I was disgusted with the last one. It was just garbage. Like a badly edited fan fiction. I hear this one is much better, but I'm wondering if the spell is broken for me after the last one. A little ways into this one I can't avoid the sense that the series is going around in circles. The sense of fun is gone from it as well as Harry has almost become an angsty teenager archetype. Hopefully this'll win me over as I've really enjoyed the series but I'm a bit concerned basically that the author has run out of road.

Finished this. Definitely more enjoyable than the previous one and I suppose it was a bit of fun, but overall it was only fair. I'm inclined to glaze over the battle scenes in most books and this was basically one huge battle scene.

I'll definitely stick with the series until the end but it could do with a bit of a change of direction or something.

Reg'stoy wrote: »

Reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation series in the reading order that he himself suggested. Big shout out to my local library here in Swords and the service in general as some of the books have come opposite ends of the country.

Got the idea because I had seen the trailer for the apple tv adaptation and so I started with Prelude to Foundation, but I found his suggested reading order online where he says to start off with the complete robot collection.

I definitely think that starting with the robot collection added something to The caves of steel book.

That's being filmed in Limerick I think? I must actually look back and see how many of the Foundation books I got through. I'm sure I enjoyed any of them I read but haven't a clue how far I got. I went with his suggested order but I think it was just the main series rather than whatever the robot collection is.

pixelburp wrote: »

If you want to watch basically the same premise - women thrust into the Astronaut programme during the 1950s or 1960s - then Apple TV's "For All Mankind" got you covered. I've only watched the first 3 or 4 episodes but it's very good. Comes from Ronald D Moore (he of the BSG reboot & Star Trek DS9), and is itself an alternate universe story (minus the meteor). Tells a story where the USSR were the first on the moon, and how NASA adjusts itself to being second and where it goes from there...

Already downloaded and on the pile for ages, starting after I finish my Love/Hate rewatch.

Reg'stoy

Reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation series in the reading order that he himself suggested. Big shout out to my local library here in Swords and the service in general as some of the books have come opposite ends of the country.

Got the idea because I had seen the trailer for the apple tv adaptation and so I started with Prelude to Foundation, but I found his suggested reading order online where he says to start off with the complete robot collection.

I definitely think that starting with the robot collection added something to The caves of steel book.

keane2097 wrote: »

I'm just after finishing Seveneves which was my first Neal Stephenson book. It was very good. The amount of research he puts in must be insane. Possibly tailed off a tiny bit at the very end but most enjoyable overall. I presume this is at the hard end when people talk about hard sci-fi? It's a genre I seem to enjoy. Any recommendation.

Get Anathaem by the same author, it's absolutely amazing.

I'm just after finishing Seveneves which was my first Neal Stephenson book. It was very good. The amount of research he puts in must be insane. Possibly tailed off a tiny bit at the very end but most enjoyable overall. I presume this is at the hard end when people talk about hard sci-fi? It's a genre I seem to enjoy. Any recommendations?

Just started the new Dresden Files book. I was disgusted with the last one. It was just garbage. Like a badly edited fan fiction. I hear this one is much better, but I'm wondering if the spell is broken for me after the last one. A little ways into this one I can't avoid the sense that the series is going around in circles. The sense of fun is gone from it as well as Harry has almost become an angsty teenager archetype. Hopefully this'll win me over as I've really enjoyed the series but I'm a bit concerned basically that the author has run out of road.

pixelburp

Thargor wrote: »

Finally dragged my way through the Calculating Stars, hated it. Absolutely despised the main character.

Theres this disease among American writers at the minute especially in sci-fi/fantasy where the barriers to entry seem to be lower where they reuse the same character over and over again, its hard to articulate but its a kind of pompous, smug, self-righteous type. I cant really explain it but The Martian would be its purest form... Boring cnuts overcoming the odds type thing. You see it over and over again these days and its really grating.

If you want to watch basically the same premise - women thrust into the Astronaut programme during the 1950s or 1960s - then Apple TV's "For All Mankind" got you covered. I've only watched the first 3 or 4 episodes but it's very good. Comes from Ronald D Moore (he of the BSG reboot & Star Trek DS9), and is itself an alternate universe story (minus the meteor). Tells a story where the USSR were the first on the moon, and how NASA adjusts itself to being second and where it goes from there...

Igotadose

Reading "Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke, who previously wrote the awesome "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell."

Piranesi is beautifully written, and seriously weird. It's in the 'can't put it down' phase for me. Highly recommended only 1/3 the way through.

Previously finished "The Emperor's Blades" by Brian Staveley, got it based on the recommendation from this thread. It's eminently o.k., nice easy read some characters who are interesting and clearly have room to grow through the series. Probably will get to book 2 in the series once done with Piranesi, or I might go re-read Strange/Norrell too.

Loving those Unsouled/Cradle books, thanks for the tip, pure popcorn stuff like reading the plot to a videogame on Wikipedia but Im tearing through them, on book 3 now...

ixoy

Read:

'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' by Becky Chambers, the first book in her Wayfarers series. Known for being "optimistic sci-fi", it's an enjoyable read, far away from the "grim" end of sci-fi with good, likeable characters - each chapter pretty much focusing on one of them. The world building is nothing outstanding but it's just a "nice" novel, something fairly refreshing these days.

"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman. I'm not overly enthused by Gaiman - 'American Gods' is one of the most over-rated books I've read - but I think he works much better in smaller shorter form. This is written as a dark fairy tale and it largely works. The film adaptation is, by and large, a good example of how to adapt a novel suitable for the film medium.

'The Witchwood Crown' by Tad Williams, the first doorstopper in his 'The Last King of Osten Ard' series. Williams, to me, is a much stronger writer than many of his fantasy peers which, for this, is as well because it's a very slow book (something that could equally be said of the prequel trilogy to this - 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn'). Very little happens and the world is full of fantasy tropes (by design, and the fact the series is decades old and well before many of the modern series). Characters are solid though and the world is painted well. So a little disappointing whilst still leaving me interested in seeing more.