What Are You Reading?

ixoy

shootermacg wrote: »

Currently enjoying Shadows of the Apt.

I really enjoyed that and felt the finale - "Seal of the Worm" - was a strong conclusion to the series (which can't be said for all final volumes).
The series deserves more love! Annoyed I missed the author when he was over for Octacon.

Raging_Ninja

Got the Red Mars trilogy on kindle and so far am enjoying it.

Yawlboy

Finally started reading Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke - got the whole series on kindle. I'm about half ways through it and am very impressed. Can't believe that I never read it before.

Manach

Monster Hunter International book 1, by Correia. This is a re-read and doing so in a German translation for the practice so rather an interesting experience.

The Sun King

Just finished "The Dwarves" by Heitz. About 150 pages into "Dune" and I've just started "Gardens of the Moon" by Erikson.

Getting back into reading.

shootermacg

The Sun King wrote: »

Just finished "The Dwarves" by Heitz. About 150 pages into "Dune" and I've just started "Gardens of the Moon" by Erikson.

Getting back into reading.

TBH I wouldn't be able to read anything once I'd started Dune, its so epic. The Dwarves sucked IMO.

The Sun King

shootermacg wrote: »

TBH I wouldn't be able to read anything once I'd started Dune, its so epic. The Dwarves sucked IMO.

The Dwarves was by no means an outstanding book but it served it's purpose I passed New Year's Day reading it.

I'm just getting my claws in to Dune. Definitely doesn't give you much to work with. From the get go it's throwing names and factions at you with no explanation. It's great so far though. Hope to finish it out in the next few days.

fenris

Dune and the Malazans together, that is diving back in at the deep end :-)

The Sun King

fenris wrote: »

Dune and the Malazans together, that is diving back in at the deep end :-)

The introduction to Malazan referenced the style of Dune. It was at that moment I knew I ****ed up.

For what it's worth, I'm finding Dune the better of the two.

Thargor

Gardens of the Moon is just something you have to read before you get into the Malazan story properly, its good but there was a gap of many years between that and the rest of them. Just remember Errikson shows everything and tells nothing, no hand-holding whatsoever so if you dont know whats going on in a chapter its probably not because you missed something, the reread is a good resource to have on hand:

http://www.tor.com/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen/

The Sun King

Thargor wrote: »

Gardens of the Moon is just something you have to read before you get into the Malazan story properly, its good but there was a gap of many years between that and the rest of them. Just remember Errikson shows everything and tells nothing, no hand-holding whatsoever so if you dont know whats going on in a chapter its probably not because you missed something, the reread is a good resource to have on hand:

http://www.tor.com/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen/

Am I right in saying that the books are non chronological? I recall seeing that somewhere and debated reading them in a specific order.

Decided to read them as released/intended.

dudara

I read the first two books in the Tearling series (Queen of the Tearling and Invasion of the Tearling) over Christmas - pretty decent.

Currently reading Blood Song, Book 1 of Raven's Shadow by Anthony Ryan. Good so far.

seklly

Read Gardens of the Moon over Christmas and currently reading the second book Deadhouse Gates, enjoying them so far.

ixoy

The Sun King wrote: »

Am I right in saying that the books are non chronological? I recall seeing that somewhere and debated reading them in a specific order. .

They're chronological. The reading order comes in if you decide to read Esslemont's Malazan books as well which can make it trickier as some of those time lines overlap.
He (Esslemont) got a new one out soon charting the early days of the Malazan Empire.

mcgovern

Over the Christmas I finished The Water Knife, which I found really good. It's an all too believable future, which makes it all the scarier.
Also read The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polansky, picked it and the second in the series up cheap on Amazon (both still 99p at the moment). It was also very good, reminded me a lot of The Gentlemen Bastards series, not so much in the story line but in the world and characters. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Also read a short one, Dead Weight: The Tombs by M. Todd Gallowglas, which he gave away for free (also 99p on Amazon at the moment). It's basically an introduction to the series I think, which is set in a world post a war between Celtic style faeries and USA. Sounds completely mad but is quite dark. Bits of Irish and Irish songs in it too, but I'm not sure if I'll continue with it.

Now reading Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon. It hasn't grabbed me yet but I'm only about 20% in.

Mickeroo

About halfway through Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey. Very light reading but really enjoyable all the same and an absolute page turner.

Anyone gone near the TV series yet? I'm wondering when it would be safe to start watching it in terms of book spoilers, should have the book finished in the next day or two. I'm guessing season 1 is only coveringLeviathan Wakes?

Thargor

The tv series is up to episode 4, episode 5 is tomorrow night, currently in the tv show they've just

escaped from the Martian flagship in the Rociante, that was the last shot, them flying out the airlock

so its pretty slow paced. The last episode of series 1 in a few weeks time will be called "Leviathan Wakes" so I suppose its one book per series. Pretty good tbh, I thought it was going to be brutal but its very watchable.

pixelburp

Mickeroo wrote: »

About halfway through Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey. Very light reading but really enjoyable all the same and an absolute page turner.

Anyone gone near the TV series yet? I'm wondering when it would be safe to start watching it in terms of book spoilers, should have the book finished in the next day or two. I'm guessing season 1 is only coveringLeviathan Wakes?

I believe Season 1 only covers Leviathan Wakes yes, but it's only 10 episodes long so depending how far you're into the book, you might stumble on spoilers pretty quickly. The adaptation makes a few changes from the books, but nothing overly radical so far.

As to the TV show itself, it's pretty decent and definitely one of the strongest shows ScyFy have produced in a while. As you say the books are pretty light reading, but TV series has done a stellar job with the world-building, the sense of place & the different wheels spinning within the story. The slightly cliché characterisation also feels more at home, more believable on-screen as well.

Mickeroo

Cheers lads, looking forward to the show now I'll probably wait until I've finished the book before I start it.

The Sun King

Ive a hankering to get into The Wheel of Time, Riftwar Saga and Dark Tower.
I know it's stupid because I've enough series to be reading. Can anyone comment on the above though?

sentient_6

Don't torture yourself with the Wheel of Time.

Thargor

Riftwar isn't great either tbh, its so cliched for the modern reader, mainly because thats the series that invented a lot of the famous fantasy tropes but still. He dragged it out so unnecessarily aswell, main characters from the first couple of series having kids, grandkids, great grandkids that grow up to be the same character facing the exact same fupping threat again except this time from the East instead of the North!

It stops making sense when Pug and one or two of his family get their full powers and are basically Gods but still go on these stupid quests like generic D&D characters aswell.

I was really grinding through them and starting to hate it towards the end, Magician and a few sequels were my favourite series as a kid though.

Dark Tower a must read though, just remember that like GotM in the Malazan series the Gunslinger was written years before the rest and its just something you have to plough through before it all kicks off.

beauf

sentient_6 wrote: »

Don't torture yourself with the Wheel of Time.

I like the first few books wheel of time, but it loses its way after about the 5th book. I re-read it recently and just speed read, skipping whole sections, until I got to the last few books. I just wanted to see how it ended.

beauf

Thargor wrote: »

...I was really grinding through them and starting to hate it towards the end, Magician and a few sequels were my favourite series as a kid though....

I think I only read the first 3 books.

mcgovern

The Dark Tower was a slog for me, gave up after 2 or 3. Read all of The Wheel of Time, but some of the books in the middle weren't great.

shrapnel222

The Sun King wrote: »

Ive a hankering to get into The Wheel of Time, Riftwar Saga and Dark Tower.
I know it's stupid because I've enough series to be reading. Can anyone comment on the above though?

the first 3 of the riftwar saga are a great read. stop there tbh.

If you enjoyed those, you can read the "daughter of the empire" trilogy set in Kelewan, which Feist co wrote with Wurts, and is a great read.

Zapp Brannigan

On to 'The Mad Ship' now. I do like these, but I think I prefer Hobb when she sticks to a single POV.

SpaceSasqwatch

The first three books of the riftware are good oldschool fantasy...I remember queing outside easons in dublin waiting to get them signed by the man himself.

Another book of his I enjoyed was faerie tale..havent read it since so maybe not as good as I remember it to be.

The wheel of time started off great but after a few books had a pain in me hole with those moany sh1tes tugging their braids...made the books unreadable imho

The Sun King

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Has anyone heard anything about this?

Got a copy sent out to me for review but I have no idea what to expect

The Sun King

Thanks for all the comments above btw. Trying to get in to a good series is all. I like stand alone books but sometimes you just don't want something to end