What Are You Reading?

Xofpod

Best place to start with the Culture series? Consider Phlebas, or someplace later?

reece289

Xofpod wrote: »

Best place to start with the Culture series? Consider Phlebas, or someplace later?

Yeah.

People will tell you to start with player of games, but that's just jumping into what they see as the most readable book.

Consider is excellent. All of them are in different ways.

nhur

ixoy wrote: »

I'd go with Pandora's Star myself. It's a duology to start but if you like it, it's got more in subsequent series. It's epic too.
The problem with the Reality Dysfunction is that the ending is, in my opinion, pretty terrible and it left a bit of a sour taste.

i've read Pandora's star - and the subsequent one. crackin' books

Dades

reece289 wrote: »

Yeah.

People will tell you to start with player of games, but that's just jumping into what they see as the most readable book.

I'd suggest POG as it's a Culture novel, so you can move anywhere from there. I read CP first and while it was fun, I had no grounding in the universe until POG.

But just read 'em all!

CalamariFritti

reece289 wrote: »

Yeah.

People will tell you to start with player of games, but that's just jumping into what they see as the most readable book.

Consider is excellent. All of them are in different ways.

You can start with any of them except for maybe ‘Inversions’ & ‘State of the Art’. The former is only a culture novel in a wider sense. You’d want to be a fan of the culture already to appreciate it. It’s good, but don’t start with it.
And SotA are only short stories. Wouldn’t start with that one either.

A good order is in chronological order of publishing date. Can’t go wrong with that.

smacl

Decided to give Robin Hobb another go after being a bit nonplussed by the first farseer trilogy and currently about half way into the second book of the Tawny man trilogy. Finding it more enjoyable than the first books but nothing special at the same time, possibly down to all the narrative coming from the same point of view leaving the books feeling a bit one dimensional. Also picked up Freedom TM (sequel to Daemon) and The Killing Moon, so plenty to be going on with.

Bits_n_Bobs

CalamariFritti wrote: »

Just finished horsing through the Culture Series by Ian M Banks. Probably something a lot of you are familiar with and to those who are not, its a brilliantly crafted space opera high tech universe that fascinates and captivates well beyond each of the individual plots. I couldn't get enough of it, but sadly I'm now through all of them. Most readers will know that feeling.

Any idea of where to turn to for the next fix?

Revelation space by alastair reynolds

pixelburp

A Close and Common Orbit:

The follow up to Becky Chambers' first book, and just as enjoyable and sweet as the previous one. I was initially disappointed we weren't going to follow more adventures on board the Wayfarer, but the new characters were just as engaging, personable and rounded as the first batch.
There's something refreshing about reading a space opera that while not completely Utopian - there are definite & semi-constant suggestions of mild inter-species strife & prejudice - it has a humane and optimistic heart in its core. There's not a cynical bone in the two novels' bodies, making them all the more enjoyable for it.

ixoy

ixoy wrote: »

29% into "All the Birds in the Sky" by Charlie Jane Anders. It's an easy light read, more YA than I expected.

I read this so now you don't have to. Avoid - poor writing that shifted abruptly in style and a plot that just shifted and jumped without any sense of proper flow.

I next tried "The Red Knight" by Miles Cameron but it wasn't clicking with me at all - perhaps too Earth-like for my liking. It's put aside for now.

Instead I'm 18% into "Death's End" the final part of Cixin Liu's "Three-Body Problem" trilogy. Sort of a Chinese Neal Stephenson. So far there's no clear protagonist but hope that changes soon so that there'll be a core story to follow.

david75

Im 3 hours into this and theres 3 stories with Luke directly in them and some about him, mid saga/post return of the jedi , They’re awesome...get this book!

nhur

about 7% into Revelation Space - found it tough to start (probably due to toddler -induced sleep deprivation) but man is it crackin now!

drake70

Just started Valour (The Faithful and the Fallen #2) by John Gwynne. I really enjoyed the first book, Malice, even if the pace was a bit slow. Good character development and a plot that doesn't give anything away too early, until you get hit by it.

I'm starting to think the author is working up to give GRRM a run for his money

machalla

nhur wrote: »

about 7% into Revelation Space - found it tough to start (probably due to toddler -induced sleep deprivation) but man is it crackin now!

Usually his books ending feel like a car crash, they come to an end so abruptly. I'd still recommend them though. Chasm city was very good also.

I think the conclusion to the series was really in Galactic North which did show a much longer view of events.

Possibly another author to look at is Peter Watts Blindsight which is hard sf with a curious twist.

keane2097

Very much enjoyed that Senlin Ascends book after. Will probably try to get the second one.

Thargor

machalla wrote: »

Usually his books ending feel like a car crash, they come to an end so abruptly. I'd still recommend them though. Chasm city was very good also.

I think the conclusion to the series was really in Galactic North which did show a much longer view of events.

Possibly another author to look at is Peter Watts Blindsight which is hard sf with a curious twist.

Blindight is amazing, theres a sequel aswell, Echopraxia.

machalla

Thargor wrote: »

Blindight is amazing, theres a sequel aswell, Echopraxia.

Thanks Thargor, I've read both and I enjoyed the second book also. Well worth mentioning.

I forgot to mention you can download Blindsight for free. Highly recommended

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight

I didn't know that there was a short story between the two books as well. Might be worth a look :
https://www.tor.com/2014/07/29/the-colonel-peter-watts/

keane2097

Long time thread readers will possibly recall me raving on several occasions about the Roger Zelazny read audio version of The Corwin Cycle section of his Amber series.

I'd say I listen to the five books two or three times a year, I could practically recite them at this stage.

There's a second five books that I never read/listened to because I had it in my head that they were not a patch on the first five, obviously having read it somewhere. Over the weekend I discovered that there's a Zelazny read audio version of book 6 (The Trumps of Doom) at least and decided to download it. I'm glad I did as it has all the charm, wit and dry delivery of the first set.

Flew through it in a little over a day, now off to track down the remaining four with fingers, toes and everything else crossed that they will be more of the same.

Fian

Read the three grail quest books by Bernard Cornwell - excellent books though they didn't really come to a firm ending imo - possibly more to come from that character from him. Still would recommend, along with other bernard cornwell books and there are many of them. Great author - historical fiction rather than sci-fi/fantasy.

I then read annihilation (southern reach) based on previous posts here. Didn't grab me tbh. just a bit too vague/wooly, which i appreciate was the intention. I don't need surrealism in a novel tbh, having said that i absolutely loved the house of leaves which is very similar in ways.

Started the red queen's war trilogy yesterday, with Prince of Fools. (Mark Lawrence). Loving it tbh, exactly what i am in the mood for atm. Better than emperor of thorns trilogy so far as I can tell so soon, but I am only a few chapters in. Like the new character though, well perhaps like is the wrong word but i am interested in him.

Also bought latest Ross O'Carroll Kelly book yesterday, so will probably be flipping between that in paperback and the prince of fools on my kindle.

Xofpod

Three moments of an explosion, China Mieville.
I have mixed feelings about Mieville, loving some stuff (The City & The City, Embassytown) and despising others (Kraken). This collection of stories is a mixed bag but enjoying on balance so far.

smacl

Xofpod wrote: »

Three moments of an explosion, China Mieville.
I have mixed feelings about Mieville, loving some stuff (The City & The City, Embassytown) and despising others (Kraken). This collection of stories is a mixed bag but enjoying on balance so far.

Very much the same, though on balance I've enjoyed more than not. The dud for me so far was Iron Council which I found way weaker than the other two Bas-Lag books. Perdido street station, the scar, and the city and the city I all found excellent, Railsea was good but much lighter.

Trojan

Finished Blackwing by Ed McDonald. Kind of Gemmell crossed with Abercrombie, with a dash of Glen Cook. Recommended.

Fian

Trojan wrote: »

Finished Blackwing by Ed McDonald. Kind of Gemmell crossed with Abercrombie, with a dash of Glen Cook. Recommended.

Sounds good! Thanks, will get this.

shrapnel222

Finished Guns of Dawn by Tchaikovsky (read children of time based on recommendations on here, and really enjoyed it, so when this book appeared in a search, i decided to give it a go).

It's a historic fantasy war novel, set probably loosely in the 19th century. It has very little fantasy other than a couple of warlocks and it's based in an imaginary country.
This book has a quite a deliberate slow pace for the most part (very similar to children of time for those who have read it), and is the story of a woman who is drafted in to fight in a war her country is caught up in. it tells of her life before during and after. Enjoyable read, with endearing characters, although definitely not an exciting one.

Thargor

Im reading Uprooted by Naoimi Novic after someone recommended it a few pages back, its bordering on Young Adult but its totally sucked me in and Im tearing through it, just a nice unpredictable fairy tale.

Lady Haywire

Finished the Briar king books, thought it ended rather abruptly but was a grand series to pass the time. Then due to my phone going on hiatus for a fortnight, I had to revert to the massive pile of books I have in my 'waiting to read'. So
Running with the Demon- Terry Brooks. Nice easy reading, will definitely check out the rest of the books, kept me turning the page at times for sure!
The Long Acre- P.J. Cunningham. Meh, much the same as other short stories of the era, have a fondness for them though so enjoyable enough.
A Bitter Wind- Joe McGowan, somehow I've got a signed copy of this book I'm not used to reading so much about Irish history, especially concentrating on ships and coastal living. But definitely interesting with lots of old wives tales. Style of writing was a bit old fashioned for me perhaps.

Now on to the Fred the Accountant books for a bit of light simple reading!:D

wyrn

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Finished the Briar king books, thought it ended rather abruptly but was a grand series to pass the time. Then due to my phone going on hiatus for a fortnight, I had to revert to the massive pile of books I have in my 'waiting to read'. So
Running with the Demon- Terry Brooks. Nice easy reading, will definitely check out the rest of the books, kept me turning the page at times for sure!
The Long Acre- P.J. Cunningham. Meh, much the same as other short stories of the era, have a fondness for them though so enjoyable enough.
A Bitter Wind- Joe McGowan, somehow I've got a signed copy of this book I'm not used to reading so much about Irish history, especially concentrating on ships and coastal living. But definitely interesting with lots of old wives tales. Style of writing was a bit old fashioned for me perhaps.

Now on to the Fred the Accountant books for a bit of light simple reading!:D

I love Fred the Vampire Accountant books. I've actually just started NPCs by the same author. It's pretty good so far. It's about the NPC characters in something similar to Dungeons & Dragons. Nice light reading.

Buford T. Justice XIX

I'm just after starting 'Lost Legio IX, The Karus Saga Book 1' by Marc Alan Edelheit, the latest edition of the Stiger books.

Nice simple Roman legions, magic & dwarves saving the Universe, whats not to like:)

OwaynOTT

Red Sister by Mark Lawerence.
Really enjoyed his first trilogy, never got around to finishing the second but still liked what I had read.
Just over a hundred pages into Red Sister and it seems to be a step above his other work. Really interested to see where it goes.

david75

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Red Sister by Mark Lawerence.
Really enjoyed his first trilogy, never got around to finishing the second but still liked what I had read.
Just over a hundred pages into Red Sister and it seems to be a step above his other work. Really interested to see where it goes.

I keep losing track with Lawrence. Is this part of the other stories?

lordgoat

david75 wrote: »

I keep losing track with Lawrence. Is this part of the other stories?

Nope new world from what I know but the name did make me ask the same question

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Red Sister by Mark Lawerence.
Really enjoyed his first trilogy, never got around to finishing the second but still liked what I had read.
Just over a hundred pages into Red Sister and it seems to be a step above his other work. Really interested to see where it goes.

I'm on book 2 of his second trilogy. Enjoying it and I generally can't stand first person written books