What Are You Reading?

AnCapaillMor

PADRAGON wrote: »

I would go with Malazan
Its like a rollercoaster that keeps jumping tracks
But he always makes the corners

Jumping tracks onto rollercoaster on a different side of the word. Fantastic books once you get into them.

giftgrub

Just finished Peter F Hamilton's Great North Road.

Took me ages to read...not a reflection on the book at all, just didnt have the time over the last month or two. I cant even go to the jacks anymore without one of my kids coming in to say hello....

Starting Neil Asher's Gridlinked today

ixoy

Reading a book called "Particle Horizon" by Selso Xisto, which I got for the high price of €0.00 a few months back. It's actually quite good and pretty impressive for a first-time author. The tale of religious fanatics rejecting the technocrats isn't entirely new but it's done well and there's a decent dash of hard sci-fi in there too.

donegal_man

Just finished the first of the Hawk And Fisher Series by Simon R Green. Weird stuff, a mixture of fantasy and police procedural featuring a husband and wife team of captains in the Haven city guard. I got the first three as a Christmas present and they've been lying around ever since. I'll probably read the other two at some stage but doubt if I'll look for any more of them.
About to start the e-book version of Roman Games by Bruce McBain. Pliny the Younger finds himself investigating the murder of an imperial informer during the reign of Domitian.

Johnny Storm

Redshirts by John Scalzi - meh.....

Sideshow Mark

Finished The Martian, very likeable and undemanding stuff. Wouldn't have found it with the recommendations earlier in this thread, so thanks all.

Fair play to the author who scored a publishing deal after its success on Amazon. Only downside is that it's gone off Amazon until its officially published next February, bet it will cost more than the couple of euro I paid for it.

(Also finished The Sisters Brothers - very Good, a gold rush western - you could see The Coen Brothers turning it into a film.)

Next up - The Player of Games

keane2097

^^Player of Games is pretty good.

Just finished The Bonehunters (book 6 of the Malazan series). Much faster paced than the rest of the books, I think maybe the series is gathering pace as it heads towards a conclusion now, but it was maybe my favourite yet.

mcgovern

I finished Last Arguments of Kings, which was pretty good. He's created a very memorable bunch of characters, all of whom are more flawed than you normally see.
Zero Point dropped in price enough for me to try it next (~€5). Though I didn't really like the first one, seeing as it's Neal Asher I'm willing to give the series another chance.

Paddy Samurai

Wool by Hugh Howey

About 30 % through ,and liking it big time.

AzN

Lies by Michael Grant

3rd book in the gone series and it's getting better each book.

Dan_Solo

I finished Book 1 of The Black Company by Glen Cook yesterday. I felt it started off incredibly badly, with an almost useless level of information about the characters and locations being given to the reader with which to form any sort of attachment/antipathy or even know what the hell was going on. Then finding out it was being written as a sort of a guild history just seemed like a total cop out to explain away the lousy story telling.
I did warm to it a bit more in the middle, but then the ending seemed utterly out of place where the more mundane action seemed more authentic. All a bit overblown, like a series finale landed into episode 4 of a TV show when you weren't expecting it.
I still can't believe there's 10 books of this, or that it's received so much glowing praise.

ixoy

4% into 'Magicians End' by Raymond E. Feist. Early days yet but hoping it ends well as I've been reading this series for over twenty years!

Bits_n_Bobs

ixoy wrote: »

4% into 'Magicians End' by Raymond E. Feist. Early days yet but hoping it ends well as I've been reading this series for over twenty years!

Kind of curious enough about the end of the series to get this. However I only read the first 3/4 way back when - do you think it's possible to just read this last one or would I need to read the intervening ones?

shaneor

ixoy wrote: »

4% into 'Magicians End' by Raymond E. Feist. Early days yet but hoping it ends well as I've been reading this series for over twenty years!

Same with me. Like a lot of people this was the first series that really hooked me into Fantasy so its the end of an era. My expectations have been lowered from the recent books so hopefully he can end on a high.

Also read Good Omens (the brilliant Pratchett & Gaiman collaboration) and First Shift by Hugh Howey recently.

Trojan

Dan_Solo wrote: »

I finished Book 1 of The Black Company by Glen Cook yesterday. I felt it started off incredibly badly, with an almost useless level of information about the characters and locations being given to the reader with which to form any sort of attachment/antipathy or even know what the hell was going on. Then finding out it was being written as a sort of a guild history just seemed like a total cop out to explain away the lousy story telling.
I did warm to it a bit more in the middle, but then the ending seemed utterly out of place where the more mundane action seemed more authentic. All a bit overblown, like a series finale landed into episode 4 of a TV show when you weren't expecting it.
I still can't believe there's 10 books of this, or that it's received so much glowing praise.

The later books do get better.

I also think there's a of of Malazan-type fans who like to be confused when they're reading

ixoy

Bits_n_Bobs wrote: »

Kind of curious enough about the end of the series to get this. However I only read the first 3/4 way back when - do you think it's possible to just read this last one or would I need to read the intervening ones?

No I don't really think it's possible to be honest. Nearly everyone from the early books is dead (it's well over a hundred years later in the timeline) so you won't recognise nearly anyone. There's a whole bunch of extended plot lines involving gods and higher dimensions, etc that won't make sense either.

keane2097

Trojan wrote: »

The later books do get better.

I also think there's a of of Malazan-type fans who like to be confused when they're reading

Yeah that was my impression when starting out - you could see how much Erikson had been inspired by how Cook just drops you into the middle of the story and lets you gradually get to know what the characters are like by their words and deeds rather than the usual "Oxly was a blacksmith, who despite being enormously muscled and the strongest of all the villagers, was a gentle and timid lover of poetry".

Black Company doesn't spoonfeed you anything, and is a damn good yarn IMO.

endacl

About to start Consider Phlebas and The Wasp Factory again. Have the three latest Bankses sitting on a shelf, unread, for quite a while now. Too busy studying. When I heard the bad news, I decided to make the summer a Banksfest, starting at the beginning, and finishing with what will sadly be his last book, which is being published ahead of time. My way, I suppose, of paying tribute and saying thanks Iain. Love your work.

appiuscrispus

Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Admittedly not my choice but sci-fi book club's.

Raging_Ninja

Just finished Shadow of Freedom by David Weber - was ok and a bit rushed in the last quarter, but a lot of his books can be.

Have started The Algebraist by Iain M Banks.

GBOA

Currently reading the first of Neal Asher's Owner novels - The Departure. A bit different to the Agent Cormac and Spatterjay ones but I'm enjoying it.

endacl

appiuscrispus wrote: »

Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Admittedly not my choice but sci-fi book club's.

I've had the mists of Avalon sitting on a shelf for about 25 years now. Unread! I remember buying it thinking it looked interesting. It joined the queue, and never managed to progress to 'next in line'. I have the tv adaptation sitting on a hard drive. Likewise never making it to next in line...

appiuscrispus

endacl wrote: »

I've had the mists of Avalon sitting on a shelf for about 25 years now. Unread! I remember buying it thinking it looked interesting. It joined the queue, and never managed to progress to 'next in line'. I have the tv adaptation sitting on a hard drive. Likewise never making it to next in line...

I have the same feeling for I have no idea how many of the books I got lying around.

But I am determined to get some way through Mists before the end of the month. Even if it kills me.

Zapp Brannigan

Lord of Chaos

The re-read is starting to get to the worst part of the series.

OwaynOTT

About half way through Daylight War and its been a struggle really. Nearly two weeks at it now!
Lord of Chaos may be the beginning of the rot for Jordan but Brett hit the wall arguable in his second instalment but most definitely in his third book. Really not that interested in Rojer and his electric fiddle.
Has anyone here read it yet? Does it end well at least?

Arawn

OwaynOTT wrote: »

About half way through Daylight War and its been a struggle really. Nearly two weeks at it now!
Lord of Chaos may be the beginning of the rot for Jordan but Brett hit the wall arguable in his second instalment but most definitely in his third book. Really not that interested in Rojer and his electric fiddle.
Has anyone here read it yet? Does it end well at least?

Yeah the actual part where the two armies clash and the epic struggle is amazing...it really is the daylight war......oh wait.....

bradyle

Just bought the new Brandon Sanderson book The Rithmatist

Very excited!

Raif Severance

OwaynOTT wrote: »

About half way through Daylight War and its been a struggle really. Nearly two weeks at it now!
Lord of Chaos may be the beginning of the rot for Jordan but Brett hit the wall arguable in his second instalment but most definitely in his third book. Really not that interested in Rojer and his electric fiddle.
Has anyone here read it yet? Does it end well at least?

You're not the First one to Remark on this. I too have struggled on the 2nd Book, and I'm now dreading Reading the 3rd Book.

Will probably wait on Reception on Book 4 before Proceeding. I have a feeling I'd be Dropping it, which is a Shame.

I used to be much more lenient on Book Series. Heck, I dropped Sword of Truth only after the godawful Naked Empire. But since I don't have much Time right now, not like I did when I was much Younger, I find myself much more Critical and less Forgiving.

OwaynOTT

Raif Severance wrote: »

You're not the First one to Remark on this. I too have struggled on the 2nd Book, and I'm now dreading Reading the 3rd Book.

Will probably wait on Reception on Book 4 before Proceeding. I have a feeling I'd be Dropping it, which is a Shame.

I used to be much more lenient on Book Series. Heck, I dropped Sword of Truth only after the godawful Naked Empire. But since I don't have much Time right now, not like I did when I was much Younger, I find myself much more Critical and less Forgiving.

Oh gawd! Naked Empire, I got that far too.

Dan_Solo

Points above taken. I'm not saying I was ever "confused" by what was happening in The Black Company #1, just that it was so lacking in description of characters and locations I got to the end of the book and could barely picture in my head what any of it looked like. A good writer doesn't need to get to book 4 of a ten part series before laying out some backdrop. The storyline itself was OK.
Anyway, on to something completely different, Book 1 of Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber. I've a feeling that it's another one a lot of people know of but never bothered to actually get stuck into.
Good going so far, though I can't help but think it'd read better with something nice to smoke...