What Are You Reading?

mcgovern

mcgovern wrote: »

I finished Anicillary Justice, it was interesting but not as groundbreaking as I'd heard. I don't think I'll be rushing to read the next in the series.
For a change I'm trying an English translation of The Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov.

Finished The Last Ringbearer, I don't know if it was lost in translation, but it was really bad. A real struggle to finish and has pretty much no relation to LoTR.
Since then I read Infected by Scott Sigler which was quite enjoyable, The Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence which I really liked, and I'm about halfway through Data Runner by Sam A Patel, which is also very good so far.

OwaynOTT

Going to attempt Bone Season by Samantha Shannon next.Not something that I would normally read but I'll give it a shot after selling it for 450 euro last summer.

5live

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Just finished Prince of Fools by mark Lawerence.
Set in the same world as the marmite of fantasy trilogies that was the Broken Empire with Jorg.
Tis a good read, nothing spectacular but still has the wit of the first 3 books and easier to like leads.
Simpler structure to the narrative with it moving mostly forward on the one timeline and we don't see much like the convoluted structure of the Jorg books.
If I had to rate it our of 5, I'd give it 3.5.

You must mark it out of 10, OwaynOTT.

Have you learned nothing on Boards?

Get with the programme, dude!

Trojan

OwaynOTT wrote: »

If I had to rate it our of 5, I'd give it 3.5.

Sigh. I wish people would standardise their ratings... I'll convert it to make it easier for everyone else.

3.5 out of 5... that's 111 out of 1010 stars.

OwaynOTT

5live wrote: »

You must mark it out of 10, OwaynOTT.

Have you learned nothing on Boards?

Get with the programme, dude!

0/10 for comedy
0/10 for originality
10/10 for injokeyness

Trojan wrote: »

Sigh. I wish people would standardise their ratings... I'll convert it to make it easier for everyone else.

3.5 out of 5... that's 111 out of 1010 stars.

Okay, okay, ill change my rating system.

I'll give it C+ on the BER rating system.

InReality

Finished the "play to live" series by D. Rus , its a good read if your into RPG's, and the first book is worth a sample read even if your not. Other books in this mini/sub genre are pretty poor so far.

OwaynOTT

InReality wrote: »

Finished the "play to live" series by D. Rus , its a good read if your into RPG's, and the first book is worth a sample read even if your not. Other books in this mini/sub genre are pretty poor so far.

No rating, no point. What's it on the Richter scale?

InReality

OwaynOTT wrote: »

No rating, no point. What's it on the Richter scale?

ronoc 1

read robin hobbs assassin apprentice,decent read but wouldnt be inclined to finish the series.just felt it was a bit lifeless and bland.i read the kindle version and at the end they give you the first couple of chapters of the next book which is fair enough but then they give you a sample of another book in the series that give away major spoilers to the books,so just be careful.

Zapp Brannigan

Shelfed The Goblin Emperor, it just didn't seem to get going. Surprised it's gotten so much acclaim from Tor et al. Will probably go back to it just to give it another go.

So I am now, for the first time ever, reading a Feist Book. Have always meant to pick him up but for some reason hesitated. So when I saw the trilogy on offer on Amazon I decided to pick it up. Think I've started with the right one, Magician.

OwaynOTT

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

Shelfed The Goblin Emperor, it just didn't seem to get going. Surprised it's gotten so much acclaim from Tor et al. Will probably go back to it just to give it another go.

So I am now, for the first time ever, reading a Feist Book. Have always meant to pick him up but for some reason hesitated. So when I saw the trilogy on offer on Amazon I decided to pick it up. Think I've started with the right one, Magician.

I read some Feist stuff when I started reading fantasy years ago, Serpent War Saga stuff I think.
Enjoyed it at the time but it never stayed with me nor did I ever want to reread it like the Wheel of Time or Dark Tower series.
I picked up Magician much later in years and didn't get very far with it, in fact I had no interest in it.
I was surprised that it had gotten such acclaim - making in onto the top 100 reads of the century in the Independent or Guardian or some such - so my post ends with surprise, the reverse of yours.

edit - I was going to get The Goblin Emperor soon, think I might leave it for a while yet now. What exactly made you shelve it?

Zapp Brannigan

OwaynOTT wrote: »

edit - I was going to get The Goblin Emperor soon, think I might leave it for a while yet now. What exactly made you shelve it?

Too much set up, I was about 40% in and it was all fairly boring (to me) court details and confusing titles and marriage arrangements and customs. It might pick up later but it was putting me to sleep so I just gave up for the moment.

I've only read 4 chapters in Magician, but I think you have to take it as a product of its time. Will see how I get on with it.

Thargor

Peter F Hamilton has a new one out in the Void sequence, The Abyss Beyond Dreams, it was good but just realised it wont finish until 2016 so regretting reading it now.

ixoy

37% into "Steelheart" by Brandon Sanderson, the first book in his Reckoners series. As ever he's easy to get into and has put a bit of thought into the world he's created. Not surprisingly it reminds me a little of the "Wild Cards" series but more of a post-apocalyptic version where every wild card turned out to be an utter a-hole. Enjoying it and will likely pick up further entries.

Trojan

OwaynOTT wrote: »

I picked up Magician much later in years and didn't get very far with it, in fact I had no interest in it.
I was surprised that it had gotten such acclaim - making in onto the top 100 reads of the century in the Independent or Guardian or some such - so my post ends with surprise, the reverse of yours.

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

I've only read 4 chapters in Magician, but I think you have to take it as a product of its time. Will see how I get on with it.

+1, it's become a bit dated over time - in fairness it was published 33 years ago now.

I think there should be a suggested reading order in the fantasy genre - starting with the Hobbit & LOTR, then on to the likes of Magician and Wheel of Time, and only then on to modern style authors like Sanderson.

In the same way, a lot of the older scifi classics from the grand masters are barely readable now.

wyrn

I fell in love with The Magician the first time I read it, but it was also my first Fantasy book and series and it opened up a whole new world to me. I think I was about 11 when I first read it. It wasn't as good the 2nd time, but it'll still hold a place in my heart.

pH

Just finished The Dark Defiles (Book 3 the final one in a Land Fit for Heroes series) by Richard Morgan. I'm a big fan of Morgan's SciFi Kovaks stuff, and really liked book 1 and 2 of this, however this book was a bit of a mess, spent the first half bored and confused, second half was better but overall a disappointing end to an otherwise enjoyable series.

Spookyspook

Im rereading Harry Potter. Never fails.

daUbiq

I'm reading Ringworld by Larry Niven - read it years ago but I'm enjoying it much more this time.. Anyone wanna recommend some classic sci fi for me?

Buford T. Justice XIX

Just finished 'Age of Iron' from Angus Watson. Its ok, standard low level RPG type stuff but interesting enough to keep me going till the end. I don't think i will be picking up any more of his stuff unless its very cheap on the kindle. 5/13, in the spirit of the rating system.

Just started 'The 12 children of Paris' by Tim Willocks. Good so far but it's really more of a historical fiction than fantasy novel, so far anyway.

Nody

daUbiq wrote: »

I'm reading Ringworld by Larry Niven - read it years ago but I'm enjoying it much more this time.. Anyone wanna recommend some classic sci fi for me?

Dune and The Foundation trilogy (or most things Asimov) should get you started. Then you have things as Ubik etc. by Philip K. Dick or more modern such as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein.

Trojan

daUbiq wrote: »

I'm reading Ringworld by Larry Niven - read it years ago but I'm enjoying it much more this time.. Anyone wanna recommend some classic sci fi for me?

The Niven & Pournelle stuff, plenty in that.

The Asimov robot books are super, I think "Caves of Steel" is the first but could be wrong.

Anything by Arthur C. Clarke ("A Fall Of Moondust" is one of my favourites off the beaten track ones).

Thargor

daUbiq wrote: »

I'm reading Ringworld by Larry Niven - read it years ago but I'm enjoying it much more this time.. Anyone wanna recommend some classic sci fi for me?

All the other Ringworld books are great aswell, theres a whole other series about the Fleet of Worlds and Puppeteer society, absolutely brilliant, love that universe. If you havent read Dune grab it right now though.

OwaynOTT

Fancied a bit of classic sci-fi, so went through the SF masterworks and settled on Neuromancer as it was only £1.59.
Published originally in 1984, so the book is as old as me. Think I might do a year if reading books from my year of birth.
Up next 1984.

daUbiq

Nody wrote: »

Dune and The Foundation trilogy (or most things Asimov) should get you started. Then you have things as Ubik etc. by Philip K. Dick or more modern such as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein.

I've read all of the Dune books and the Foundation series - great stuff! I have not read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; I have the epub so I'll read that next. Thanks.

Nody

Finished all of Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's war series (five in total). I'm a big Moon fan and the series were more in her style; if you like her you'll like the series and I loved the last sentence (which only makes sense if you read the series but is a potential spoiler)

you've never seen what I can do with a pear...

. Going back to the engineering trilogy (second book) now.

ixoy

Nody wrote: »

Going back to the engineering trilogy (second book) now.

And I've started "The Folding Knife" by KJ Parker. Very early days yet but I already like the dry wit she / he is so good with.

Sephiroth_dude

Anyone read Patrick rothfuss new book? based on Auri, I brought it during the week but I'm trying too finish off do electric sheep dream of androids

Trojan

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Anyone read Patrick rothfuss new book? based on Auri

lol, no. Waiting for him to finish the series he finished 6 years ago! He's doing a Jordan*.


*This will soon be known as "a GRRM" when he kicks the bucket as the masses know him from TV (as "that beardy porn fantasy guy who kills everyone").

OwaynOTT

Trojan wrote: »

lol, no. Waiting for him to finish the series he finished 6 years ago! He's doing a Jordan*.


*This will soon be known as "a GRRM" when he kicks the bucket as the masses know him from TV (as "that beardy porn fantasy guy who kills everyone").

Looking like Doors of Stone won't be out this year either and Rothfuss is doing neither a Jordan or a Martin. The difference is both of those writers were quite prolific in the earlier part of their fantasy writing career.
Jordan was pumping out a book a year for quite a while.

Anyone else sing Turn to Stone by ELO in their head when talking about Doors of Stone?