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The White Feather

ixoy wrote: »

I found the series got progressively weaker.. Just like the TV show did..

I was exactly the same! Loved Altered Carbon, thought Broken Angels was just ok and then I didn't like Woken Furies.

I find Morgan hit and miss. I loved Thin Air but hated Market Forces.

coffee_cake

rhythm of war is awesome
i need more
it was awesome

i feel like i need to re read all of them together though

Gary kk

bluewolf wrote: »

rhythm of war is awesome
i need more
it was awesome

i feel like i need to re read all of them together though

That should get you to xmas.

titan18

bluewolf wrote: »

rhythm of war is awesome
i need more
it was awesome

i feel like i need to re read all of them together though

I thought it was the weakest of the 4 in Stormlight Archive, by a long way. Way too depressing, flashback scenes got annoying as I don't feel like they were giving us any new information, outcomes were clearly telegraphed

Shallan and her spren, Navani and bondsmith, Adolin and Maya

so didn't hit like a surprise to me. Way too long between chapters for some characters too, the gap between

Adolin/Shallan

chapters was quite big, likewise

Dalinar

, and we barely got any

Jasnah,Renarin or non Tower bridge 4

.

ixoy

Just finished "The Labyrinth Index", the ninth book in Charles Stross's Laundry Files series. Quite enjoyed this one as it was made more refreshing by switching to a new lead, taking a more of a "Mission Impossible" vibe and dealing in a new world where the consequences of previous books have now had a huge toll. It gave the series a bit of a kick. Switching to the perspective of a vampire former HR-manager also changed the humour a bit (less IT-jokes for example) and there was some decent, if not outstanding, characterisation. It won't win any converts (it is book 9!) but an improvement on the previous one showing there's life in the series yet.

"A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" by C.A. Fletcher. It's a bit of another "literary post-apocalyptic sci-fi" where there's a sole character wandering around an empty world. It's fine. A big deal is made of a twist - it's mentioned in the intro - but it's nothing spectacular and the world isn't all that interesting. The benchmark for me in this genre is "The Road" and this doesn't really add a huge amount. Not boring or anything, just not memorable either.

And I forgot I read:
"Embers of War" by Gareth L. Powell, the first book in his Embers of War series and the last one of his I'll be reading. Didn't care much for this at all. The writing was plain, the characters rather dull but also inconsistent (sometimes pacifists, sometimes switching to being violent) and the plot forgettable. There's yet another big alien object but I wasn't inclined to care to discover what it is. It is, if nothing else, short but I won't read the next in the series despite having bought them already (very cheaply in Kindle sales).

keane2097

Ready Player 2 landed in my audible library this morning. Will Wheaton again. I'm not optimistic for some reason but let's see how it goes

Fian

ixoy wrote: »

"A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" by C.A. Fletcher. It's a bit of another "literary post-apocalyptic sci-fi" where there's a sole character wandering around an empty world. It's fine. A big deal is made of a twist - it's mentioned in the intro - but it's nothing spectacular and the world isn't all that interesting. The benchmark for me in this genre is "The Road" and this doesn't really add a huge amount. Not boring or anything, just not memorable either.

tbh "no advance on the road" is a good enough recommendation for me to add this to me "to be read" list

I'm currently reading the trouble with peace which I am really enjoying. Next will be rhythm of war.

Working from home has significantly slowed down my reading progress. Too many other potential distractions instead of e.g. taking my kindle out when I am eating my lunch.

keane2097

keane2097 wrote: »

Ready Player 2 landed in my audible library this morning. Will Wheaton again. I'm not optimistic for some reason but let's see how it goes

Starts off fairly ropy, some equally terrible character behaviour to the first one but half way through it's starting to be good craic and compulsive too

Thargor

Thargor wrote: »

Ive started Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove, his usual cast of characters style following a journalist, an archaeologist, an Israeli soldier etc at the Temple Mount in Israel as the end times seem to be starting.

That was abysmal, shockingly bad.

Moved on to A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World, seems more promising.

keane2097

keane2097 wrote: »

Starts off fairly ropy, some equally terrible character behaviour to the first one but half way through it's starting to be good craic and compulsive too

It wasn't great in the end.

Paddy Samurai

Breaking Chaos (part 3 The Chasing Graves Trilogy)

The battle for the emperor’s throne grows ever fiercer. The City of Countless Souls cowers behind locked doors as the whims of the downtrodden and the powerful bring the great game of Araxes to its chaotic conclusion.

To say that the concept of Chasing Graves is grimdark would be an understatement... The world building is fantastic and reminiscent of Michael Moorcock's Elric series."- Grimdark Magazine

Has anyone else read this series?.
I'm about 50 pages into the last book in the trilogy and enjoying this series big time.It has some unique characters/world building.

Thargor

Have the first one on the pile from your previous rec, looking forward to it.

coffee_cake

More will Wight, travelers gate series. I think he has another series as well which I'll move on to next
Love these books, light enough, very readable, and interesting magic system

ixoy

"Memory" by Lois McMaster Bujold - another instalment in her excellent Vorkosigan Saga and one of the best too. It very ably does a great mix of espionage, character development, major plot shifts but also great mundane moments, humour and great writing. Everything I like about the series.

"Blackflame" by Will Wright, the 3rd book in his Cradle series. As bluewolf above will attest to, he's a fun writer whose got a strong sense of how to pace and world build. A lot of fun.

"This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. This award-winning novella didn't really do much for me. It's a romance done in epistolary form with two people on opposing sides of a time war leaving notes for each other at different points in alternating time lines. It sounds good in theory but there's no real plot here and we never get much of an insight into the periods they visit. Maybe there's just not enough romance in me but it all felt more clever than having any real emotional heft.

"The Ballad of Bad Jack" by Anthony Ryan, the fourth in his Slab City Blues. It's an average enough scii-fi novella here. The detective noir element from earlier in the series is missing here in favour of more boilerplate action. All a bit forgettable overall.

Xofpod

ixoy wrote: »

"This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. This award-winning novella didn't really do much for me. It's a romance done in epistolary form with two people on opposing sides of a time war leaving notes for each other at different points in alternating time lines. It sounds good in theory but there's no real plot here and we never get much of an insight into the periods they visit. Maybe there's just not enough romance in me but it all felt more clever than having any real emotional heft.

Agree with you completely on "this is how you lose the time war". Also failed to spark much in my cold, dead heart....
Also, really never sure about the co-authoring thing. Off the top of my head, Good Omens is the only one I can think of that worked.

ixoy

Xofpod wrote: »

Also, really never sure about the co-authoring thing. Off the top of my head, Good Omens is the only one I can think of that worked.

Broadly I'd agree but here's some that do work:

* The Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. For people of a certain age like me, it was often a gateway into fantasy.

* The Empire Series by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Probably the best in all of the many Midkemia / Kelewan novels.

* The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. Not a big fan myself but it's very populat.

Blowfish

ixoy wrote: »

"This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. This award-winning novella didn't really do much for me. It's a romance done in epistolary form with two people on opposing sides of a time war leaving notes for each other at different points in alternating time lines. It sounds good in theory but there's no real plot here and we never get much of an insight into the periods they visit. Maybe there's just not enough romance in me but it all felt more clever than having any real emotional heft.

Ah good, glad it wasn't just me, I felt the same about that one. If you read for the love of poetry and prose, I'm sure it's a fantastic book, but to me it just felt surface level and shallow and came across much more as infatuation than actual romance. It ended up feeling like I was reading endless variations of the poems/sayings in valentines cards more than anything else.

Gary kk

Xofpod wrote: »

Agree with you completely on "this is how you lose the time war". Also failed to spark much in my cold, dead heart....
Also, really never sure about the co-authoring thing. Off the top of my head, Good Omens is the only one I can think of that worked.

The Expanse is co-author and while some books were slow in general is good.

Xofpod

ixoy wrote: »

Broadly I'd agree but here's some that do work:

* The Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. For people of a certain age like me, it was often a gateway into fantasy.

* The Empire Series by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Probably the best in all of the many Midkemia / Kelewan novels.

* The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. Not a big fan myself but it's very populat.

Loved the Dragonlance books but not sure how they'd stand up to a rereading 25/30 years later. That said, was just thinking about them recently in terms of how suitable they would be for my 11 yr old who is a voracious reader and very much moving full-throttle into the fantasy space.

coffee_cake

I loved the time war for the writing

keane2097

I'm listening to Rob Inglis doing LOTR on Audible at the moment for the first time in a while, it's like an old pair of slippers - wonderful.

Also reading Blindsight at the moment. It's very atmospheric but I'm finding it hard to get into somehow. Probably a lack of focus on my part.

Glebee

Red Seas under Red Skies at the moment and enjoying it on audible.
Audible is brilliant for getting through books in fairness particularly if you have the kindle version of the book as well and use the audosync. For a while there I was able to give back / return the audiobook when on the last page and get my credit back for it. Ive ended up with a load of credits. Unfortunately audible have discovered my ruse and stopped it.

Loved the Dragonlane as well a long time ago and got through a lot of the books. Dont know know how they hold up. I did read a few of the Forgotten Realms books recently (6 i think so far) and there very basic simple stuff.

aismac

Currently reading Hold up the Sky - short stories by Cixin Liu - and enjoying it more than the Three Body Problem. Highly recommend.

Also listening to Peter F Hamilton on Audible. The Dreaming Void. Good so far!

Tristram

Picked up the "Saints of Salvation" the other week and tore through it once started. It's the third in Peter F Hamilton's Salvation series which I had expected to be a trilogy but not so sure now. Really enjoyable series and this brought the storylines together quite nicely.

Finished "The Reality Dysfunction" a little earlier and really enjoyed this introduction to the Confederation universe. I can't wait to see where it goes and have continued on with "The Neutronium Alchemist" and the pace hasn't let up any. Love Hamilton's work!

Read "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars" by Christopher Paolini over Christmas. Strong opening and lots of potential but felt it lost its way and was disappointing overall. The endnote was quite frank about the challenges the author faced in completing the project and the drastic rewrites it underwent, and unfortunately I think it comes through in the book. Haven't read anything else by Paolini so not sure if standard is normally higher.

"The New Wilderness" by Diane Cook was another Christmas read and I loved it. A simple story told well and with real finality in its conclusion. I wouldn't be surprised to see it on screen at some point.

Thargor

That To Sleep in a Sea of Stars was so bland, I forgot about it the minute I finished it.

coffee_cake

I'm a massive Hamilton fan in general but have been struggling with the last in the salvation - dying to know what happens but it's so broad or something
Am on the last book of will Wight's elder empire series - brilliant stuff. He has a number of typos I haven't encountered in his other books but doesn't detract much

fenris

Reread Dune over Christmas, so went for something lighter, as a result I am slogging my way through The Paternus Trilogy by Dyrk Ashton out of pure stubbornness at this stage, it was decent enough to start but now I just think the author's notes were periodically scattered across the room then gathered up in random order.
Would be worth a read if he got himself an editor as the story is actually okay but reads like he is being paid by the word, lots of characters that seem like he had an idea to do something with, but then forgot or lost interest.

Beanstalk

ixoy wrote: »

Broadly I'd agree but here's some that do work:

* The Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. For people of a certain age like me, it was often a gateway into fantasy.

* The Empire Series by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Probably the best in all of the many Midkemia / Kelewan novels.

* The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. Not a big fan myself but it's very populat.

Wow the Dragonlance books are a blast from the past! I had so many of them, all the stoylines from Huma to Lord Soth, was great when i'm younger but its one of those ones i'd be afraid to go back to when I''m older. I kinda regret going back to Raymond E Feist's general books, but as for the Empire Series - wow, still holds up - amazing writing, would make a wonderful tv series!

Igotadose

Read Asprin's "The Dragon series" over the holidays. Not too good, but seems he died during the series being done so I can see the inconsistent writing and editing due to someone ghosting him.
Nicholas Eames "Kings of the Wyld" and "Bloody Rose" were great reads, not too deep lots and lots of puns. Bloody Rose a bit less lively than "Kings" but quite enjoyable.
Finished Max Gladstone's "Craft Sequence." Liked it a lot as not all fantasy has to be European swords and sorcery, modern worlds set in post-Aztec-type civilizations are cool.
Now on to Adrian Tchaikovsky's Echoes of the Fall series. First book Tiger and the Wolf is kind of cliche-ridden and slow, but perhaps it gets better.
I really enjoyed Tchaikovsky's Redemption's Blade, had an excellent premise that he carried through well, reminded a bit of the universe of Robert Jordan with interfering mid-level deities being big problems. Also read "Walking to Aldebaran" and "Firewalkers," both were nice, short-ish and tight. Though, "Walking" does telegraph it's ending.

shootermacg

bluewolf wrote: »

Am on the last book of will Wight's elder empire series - brilliant stuff. He has a number of typos I haven't encountered in his other books but doesn't detract much

Hammered through the Cradle series, I had great fun. Moved on to the House of Blades. He seems to be primarily influenced by anime / manga for his characters, which is fine by me.