What Are You Reading?

mcgovern

Dan_Solo wrote: »

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...

I read about half of them, and even that was a struggle

keane2097

Dan_Solo wrote: »

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...

If you don't like Nine Princes in Amber either you're going on ignore!

Dan_Solo

keane2097 wrote: »

If you don't like Nine Princes in Amber either you're going on ignore!

Yeah, I'm a bit of a hard to please auld grump aren't I!
They can't all be Elric or Foundation I guess?:D

mcgovern

I finished Zero Point, it got better towards the end, but I still felt it was badly written, and nowhere near as good as his Polity books.
Started Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Despite being a translation, it's much better written, and is very interesting so far (about 20% in). I'd recommend it.

Bits_n_Bobs

+1 on Zero Point, as a fan of pretty much everything else he has written it was a disappointment.

I read Rivers of London by Ben Aaronvitch a year ago, enjoyed it enough that when I spotted a new one on Amazon (Moon over Soho) I ordered it....more of the same, but still enjoyable.

Idiot that I am I had not realised that there is a second one in the series that I missed (Whispers Underground). I'm currently reading that and again - more of the same, which is not really a bad thing, but I don't think it's quite good enough to read consequtively. And um, backwards

I've had my eye on that Metro one for a while, think I will have that next on the list - thanks for the recommendation.

ixoy

Reading "Mockingjay" the third book in the Hunger Games series. Pretty good so far, although - 26% in - it's still a lot of build up, although the pace is accelerating a little.

Trojan

mcgovern wrote: »

I finished Zero Point, it got better towards the end, but I still felt it was badly written, and nowhere near as good as his Polity books.
Started Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Despite being a translation, it's much better written, and is very interesting so far (about 20% in). I'd recommend it.

I liked Metro 2033, good quality translation and a great book.

As for the sequel, afaics there is no official translation, there's an 'open source' version which is very, very patchy. I wasn't able to finish it.

keane2097

Having another crack at The Lies of Locke Lomora. I quit it the first time because my audio version is all out of order which I didn't properly figure out and became increasingly baffled about the timeline!

I'm a big fan of the dialog in it, very gritty and natural.

McG

Nearly finished "Shadows In Flight". Had read the Ender's Game books that deal with Ender a few year ago and with the movie coming up later this year I decided to read all the Shadow books. Fairly enjoyable though at times the author seems a bit obsessed by the biological imperative (I think his publicly held views on marriage show this too).

mcgovern

Trojan wrote: »

I liked Metro 2033, good quality translation and a great book.

As for the sequel, afaics there is no official translation, there's an 'open source' version which is very, very patchy. I wasn't able to finish it.

As far as I know, they hope to have an official English translation out this year. The first chapter is up on Amazon.
I think he is also turning the script for Metro 2033: First Light into a new book, but I've not heard if that is going to be translated yet.

Valaquenta

mcgovern wrote: »

I finished Zero Point, it got better towards the end, but I still felt it was badly written, and nowhere near as good as his Polity books.
Started Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Despite being a translation, it's much better written, and is very interesting so far (about 20% in). I'd recommend it.

Metro 2033 is really good. In between a couple of fantasy trilogies I gave it a go at my brother's suggestion. Very enjoyable. Really captures the sense of claustrophobia

Dan_Solo

Thanks all for the Metro 2033. That sounds like something I could be interested in. Reminds me a little of the old Amtrak Wars with the big underground bases and the train reference!

OwaynOTT

Finished Daylight War earlier today. It's like Wheel of Time but with loads of sex or rather some sex.
The series is all ready bogged down but I think with the way this ones ends that its back on track.
Anyone else dislike ending with a cliffhanger? It's the third book we are all ready invested and don't need to be kept on tender hooks.

endacl

Anybody read 'Twilight'? I'm hearing good things!


Runs away.........


:pac::pac:

Arawn

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Finished Daylight War earlier today. It's like Wheel of Time but with loads of sex or rather some sex.
The series is all ready bogged down but I think with the way this ones ends that its back on track.
Anyone else dislike ending with a cliffhanger? It's the third book we are all ready invested and don't need to be kept on tender hooks.

I originally liked the idea of having books from the main good/bad guys view but adding innevera(sp) view is pointless, you easily read over 100 pages of stuff already covered in both previous books. It really annoyed me and will be waiting on reviews on the next book from friends before I invest any time

OwaynOTT

Arawn wrote: »

I originally liked the idea of having books from the main good/bad guys view but adding innevera(sp) view is pointless, you easily read over 100 pages of stuff already covered in both previous books. It really annoyed me and will be waiting on reviews on the next book from friends before I invest any time

I agree with you there, the book was unnecessarily padded out.
I can easily see both Arlen and Jadir not showing up in the next book for a couple of hundred pages as well.

Dades

About 1/3rd through "Old Man's War" and really enjoying it.

Somewhat like Starship Troopers, it doesn't take itself too seriously. Though less politics and more character. Good stuff.

Valaquenta

Finished the Inheritance trilogy by NK Jemisin. Only OK. Wouldn't be in a rush to recommend it to be honest.

Started the Black Company. Only 30 pages in or so but I think it could be enjoyable going by some of the characters so far. Think it's going to be a series where main characters get the chop. Has a nice gritty feel to it. Fingers crossed

Nody

keane2097 wrote: »

Having another crack at The Lies of Locke Lomora. I quit it the first time because my audio version is all out of order which I didn't properly figure out and became increasingly baffled about the timeline!

I'm a big fan of the dialog in it, very gritty and natural.

It's a great story; I'm not as big fan of the second book but I have hopes for the third one will be the best of all.

Personally I've just finished Star risk volume 3 (think A-Team in space); saving volume 4 for my next travel but it's a nice quickly spaced series. Got the last book in Wheel of Times (can't remember the name) half way through on my mp3 player. I should start to read the Firemask (Last Legion book 2) as the first one was enjoyable enough or the Clone Alliance series.

ixoy

Begun two books recently:

30% into "The Jennifer Morgue", the second book in Charles Stross's Laundry series. Again I'm enjoying the mix of black wit, IT geek talk and occult mysticism. Stross's mind is wonderfully warped.

Also reading "Darwin's Children" by Greg Bear. It's the sequel to "Darwin's Radio" which I read about ten years and enjoyed so hopefully this will live up to it (and notwithstanding the fact I've come to know a lot of new authors since then).

Trojan

I really like almost everything from Stross. The Laundry Files books are superb - all 5/5 but the last one which I'd give a 4/5. Glasshouse is just incredible, brilliant concepts, and as you said, ixoy, a warped mind! I think Singularity Sky & Iron Sunrise are brilliant, love if he did some more in that universe.

The ones I didn't like are Accelerando (that's a link to download it) and the Merchant Princes. Accelerando I just couldn't get into, the main character was a total muppet and none of it grabbed me. The Merchant Princes - I just kept reading the next book in the series thinking "Stross is awesome, so I'm sure the next one must be better". It wasn't.

Raif Severance

Nody wrote: »

It's a great story; I'm not as big fan of the second book but I have hopes for the third one will be the best of all.

Personally I've just finished Star risk volume 3 (think A-Team in space); saving volume 4 for my next travel but it's a nice quickly spaced series. Got the last book in Wheel of Times (can't remember the name) half way through on my mp3 player. I should start to read the Firemask (Last Legion book 2) as the first one was enjoyable enough or the Clone Alliance series.

Star Risk and Last Legion in Boards?!! No way!!!

As a Fellow Chris Bunch Fan, I recommend reading, The Warrior King Trilogy. His Best Books and 4th in my All-Time List just behind, Hobb's Liveship Traders Trilogy, Bujold's Chalion Series, and Holdstock's Ryhope Wood Series.

Ste_JDM

Currently on the 2nd Mass Effect book.

keane2097

Nody wrote: »

It's a great story; I'm not as big fan of the second book but I have hopes for the third one will be the best of all.

Yeah almost finished it now and it's great. The biggest things for me are natural and realistic dialogue and characters behaving believably and not missing obvious things stuff that ought to tip them off at key plot points and just behaving believably.

This book has both. The dialogue excellent, and every time I spot an issue with the plot the author usually closes it right up within a couple of paragraphs. Good old yarn.

Dan_Solo

Valaquenta wrote: »

Metro 2033 is really good. In between a couple of fantasy trilogies I gave it a go at my brother's suggestion. Very enjoyable. Really captures the sense of claustrophobia

I'm a bit into this now and I really like it. Nice post-apocalypse setting, with a sort of historical "city state" perspective.
I wonder will Metro North be built in time for armageddon or is everyone in Ireland dead in 2033? :-)

growler

Finished up Feist's Magician's End last night, I'm kinda glad that's over now and I don't have to read any more after more than 20 something years of Pug. Pretty predictable.

Started on Erickson's Forge of Darkness, already racking my brains trying to remember who's who, no surprise there even with no Bridgeburners in sight.

While I was waiting for amazon to deliver Forge of Darkness I had no choice but to read the second Mira Grant book, Deadline, fortunately Amazon came through and I could abandon it half way through without a shred of regret.

Valaquenta

growler wrote: »

Finished up Feist's Magician's End last night, I'm kinda glad that's over now and I don't have to read any more after more than 20 something years of Pug. Pretty predictable.

I've the last coupla books in the series to read. Been a coupla years since i last read Feist. Really loved the series just other stuff got in the way so might need a bit of a refresher. Please tell me it ends in a satisfactory fashion.....

Actually Feist was the first author that really hooked me into fantasy proper, apart from Tolkien a few years prior. Not too many series have got me as involved in the characters, apart from A Song of Ice & Fire and The Farseer trilogy.

mcgovern

I finished Metro 2033, it's a good read, I'd recommend it to others and would love to read more of the universe. There is a lot of scope for furthering exploring the Metro, nevermind the world outside it.
Started Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Liking it so far.

Dan_Solo

mcgovern wrote: »

I finished Metro 2033, it's a good read, I'd recommend it to others and would love to read more of the universe. There is a lot of scope for furthering exploring the Metro, nevermind the world outside it.
Started Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Liking it so far.

For those of that persuasion, there's also a game out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_2033_(video_game)
But it looks a bit brainless FPS unfortunately. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with FPS, but I don't think it matters much what the source material is with FPS, so an opportunity wasted for me.

keane2097

Finished the Locke Lomora one, very good.

Have started on Prelude to Foundation now, enjoying it a lot so far.