What Are You Reading?

Xofpod · 28-09-2021 1:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117948568#Comment_117948568

Last two are poor. The ending particularly sucks, but King has always had a problem with endings

Xofpod · 28-09-2021 1:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117949500#Comment_117949500

Read the Wind through the Keyhole though. Great out-of-sequence Tower book, will cleanse the palate after the last two

Igotadose · 28-09-2021 2:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117897606#Comment_117897606

Just finished "The Fall of Dragons." That series was 2 books too long imo. Enough typos to be noticeable and seriously formulaic, not a ton of new ideas and lots of other writer's ideas being recycled. First two books were pretty good, fell off a cliff in the 3rd and a slog to the end especially "Fall of Dragons."

shrapnel222 · 01-10-2021 10:12am

Finished the prince of nothing series by R scott Bakker. Whilst i'm a little disappointed it's actually not the end of the series but the beginning of a much larger one, i have to say i was incredibly impressed. The scope of it is massive and absolutely love the characters and story lines, and volume 3 was especially good imo. Now really looking forward to reading the next batch, although i find them quite a slow read as there is so much to take in.

Finally getting around to the 3rd and final book of the poppy war, which is a much easier read

ixoy · 15-10-2021 8:58pm

"The Light of All That Falls" by James Islington, the final book in his "Licanius" trilogy. This was a frustrating end to a series. Islington is clearly (and admits as much) influenced by Brandon Sanderson so you've got the big plots, magic systems, etc with some average prose. Like Sanderson he also gradually reveals and explains the mysteries and have characters working out the "rules" of the system. The twist for his series is a dash of time travel, reminding me a bit of some of Moffat's "Doctor Who" work. That bit works quite well... But with this book it's entirely at the expense of characters. They all basically just serve the plot, with no real growth or even character moments (except for an epilogue where there's a much more interesting glimpse of what we could have had). It meant I barely cared what happened to them by the end. I think Islington's possibly finding his feet and the "timey-wimey" bits were refreshing but it's another damp squib of a series ending for me.

* "Beneath the Twisted Trees" by Bradley P. Beaulieu, the fourth book in his "The Song of the Shattered Sands" series. Another enjoyable instalment in the Arabian-influenced fantasy. Whilst a little slow to start, it scaled up for the end and major plot lines were moved along nicely. Nothing phenomenal, much like the previous works, but I'll happily read the next two books.

Thargor · 16-10-2021 12:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117962124#Comment_117962124

Prince of Nothing is one of the best things Ive ever read, the two series would be my favourite fantasy stories of all time apart from Malazan I think. Its just mind-blowing.

Fian · 18-10-2021 8:48am

I "re-read" Dune. I was surprised how well it stood up to the passage of time since i had read it last. Still a good read.

I went on to "the God is not willing", I really enjoyed it. I was surprised to find it an easier read than some of teh original books, maybe because it is at the beginning of a series and so there is less backstory to keep track of, with the malazan books of course he expects you to realise implications for or from things that have happeneed in the past even if they are not mentioned or the characters being written at the time don't know about the previous events.Anyway this one was great, but I don't think it would be possible to read or at least read properly without having read the previous books.

He refers to forkrul assail, Tlan imass and jaghut without ever explaining what they are, tbh without reading the previous books I don't think i would have realised they were not human and probably would have assumed they were a different tribe. Similarly the various warrens are completely unexplained and even references to characters like coltaine, or tactics like fiddler's drum, are dropped in without any hint at all as to what they are about.

So strangely I found it less daunting than some of the previous while at the same time realised that alot of it would have gone over my head without having read the previous series.

Thargor · 21-10-2021 12:55am

I love Neal Stephenson, Anathaem and Seveneves are 2 of the best things Ive ever read in sci-fi and in general, the former especially. Reamde was okay, definitely readable but my God the sequel Fall or Dodge in Hell is the greatest load of warmed over sh1te Ive read in a long time. Good premise but absolute nonsensical childish gibberish for 1000+ pages, shaking my head at how bad it is in places.

Its about brains being scanned and uploaded but for some reason he decided to portray the virtual word as them wandering around in a childish primitive state having bizarre encounters with trees and wolves and other Garden of Eden nonsense, it just makes no sense at all and the sheer quantity of ityou have to wade through, Im 1100 pages in just looking forward to finishing it now.

ixoy · 23-10-2021 11:44pm

* "The Galaxy, and the Ground Within" by Becky Chambers, the fourth (and final) book in her Wayfarers series. This was a huge improvement on the previous book addressing my issue with that (dullish human society) with a novel only with aliens from different species. Being Becky Chambers, these characters are basically interacting with each other in a cosy layover, stuck in a port in a storm, chatting and getting to know each other. It's the interactions that really work here and how different cultures perceive and come to understand each other and what home means to someone. Loved the different viewpoints and it is of course nice and cosy. My favourite in the series alongside the first.

* "Orconomics" by Zachary Pike, the first book in his Dark Profit Saga. Very much reminded me of "Kings of the Wyld" (which it predates), it starts out as a sort of post-modern look at how heroes become part of an economy slaying monsters, brings in D&D concepts like NPCs, etc but does spend some time fleshing out characters. Its plot isn't particularly memorable but it was a good read and I'll pick up the next book.

Thargor · 24-10-2021 8:22am

New Alastair Reynolds one set in Revelation Space, Inhibitor Phase. He says in the foreword that it can be treated as standalone if you've never read his other stuff but it deals with the last humans hiding from the inhibitors which I've always wanted more of so I'm happy anyway.

pixelburp · 24-10-2021 9:15am

Finished up The Last Watch last night and ended with a higher opinion than when I started. The annoying character mellowed a little and acted as a bit of an everyman anchor to some events and sci-fi twists. Enjoyed it enough I'd want to read another in the series (cos of course it's a series), though the one flaw was that the antagonists were very distant and abstract; just names on the horizon rather than characters.

Thargor · 27-10-2021 4:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118065118#Comment_118065118

Well that was completely pointless and dull.

C4000 · 29-10-2021 10:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117962124#Comment_117962124

Bakker's second series, The Aspect Emperor, is the best I have ever read.

accensi0n · 29-10-2021 10:44am

Just started The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner.

Saw it mentioned in an Internet/networking history book I read a while ago.

Igotadose · 06-12-2021 3:21pm

Just finished "Crownbreaker" by Sebastien De Castell, book 6 of his 'Spellslinger' series. Entertaining finale with lots of joking, including a couple of Princess Bride dialogue jokes. Seems to be the end of the series though there might be more, probably a companion series in the future.

Bits_n_Bobs · 08-12-2021 10:09pm

Agreed. So disappointing, really lazy effort

A

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118081014#Comment_118081014

Thargor · 09-12-2021 9:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118088919#Comment_118088919

Totally agree, I consider the 2 series to be one of the best things ever written, nevermind fantasy, just the best fiction full stop. Must give the audiobook a try.

Thargor · 11-12-2021 10:10pm

Oh yes, went looking for a decent book to get me through Christmas at the parents and found a new Neal Stephenson, Termination Shock:

Neal Stephenson’s sweeping, prescient new novel transports readers to a near-future world where the greenhouse effect has inexorably resulted in a whirling-dervish troposphere of superstorms, rising sea levels, global flooding, merciless heat waves, and virulent, deadly pandemics.

One man has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied?

Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?

He's probably my favourite living author just for Seveneves/Anathaem/Snow Crash and a few others, I didnt mind Reamde either but its sequel Fall was the greatest turd Ive read so far this year or in the last few years, absolutely amazing drop in quality from him. Seveneves and Anathaem are absolute must-reads if you like sci-fi though.

Igotadose · 12-12-2021 10:25am

Just finished "Questland" by Carrie Vaughn. I liked the "Kitty Norville" series, lightweight and well written. So was Questland, which is written to appeal to those of us that grew up on reading Fantasy novels and playing RPG's. Lots of references to classic fantasy (obvious ones that the protagonist points out.)

ixoy · 21-12-2021 10:27pm

"The Tyrant Baru Cormorant" by Seth Dickinson, the third book in his Masquerade series but really more like the second half of the previous book. It resolves a lot of the themes in that book (where Baru's story became far less about control and Machiavellian planning and less focused) and marries them more with those of the first. A bit of "best of both worlds" and it leads to a satisfying conclusion even though it's not meant to be the final book of the series. If you're reading the second book ("The Monster Baru Comorant"), I'd strongly recommend reading this one shortly after.
"The Fall of Babel" by Josiah Bancroft, the fourth and final book in his "Books of Babel" series. I loved the writing in this - Bancroft's prose is a head above most in the genre - and there's some very imaginative "ringdoms" here (sort of mini countries occupying a level of the tower) as well as some interesting plot elements. However, the ending left me a bit disappointed - while there was some good resolutions for characters, there were too many unanswered questions for me and a bit of a "Huh?" development towards the end. I'm hoping he gives us more answers at a future date as I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed for one of the few series where I pre-ordered a book.
"Elder Race" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Really liked this novella - a simple premise built around "“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". Split between two characters, it initially appears to be a fantasy story with a princess calling the aid of a wizard to fight a demon. However, every second chapter is from this "wizard's" perspective, who is actually a stranded astronaut and whose technology would appear magic to the planet's inhabitants. It delves into the anthropology of how this would work (a favourite theme of Tchaikovsky) and it built to a satisfying conclusion.

Thargor · 21-12-2021 10:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118358505#Comment_118358505

Is Elder Race a one-off?

Im back rereading the Prince of Nothing from the start again even though I have the new Neal Stephenson and the latest Expanse book sitting on my pile, recommended it to a guy at work and he was praising it a few weeks later so I started reading it on my phone when I was bored on a long shift and got sucked back in.

ixoy · 22-12-2021 12:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118358583#Comment_118358583

Yeah, it certainly reads as a one-off.

And 'The Prince of Nothing' - a heart-warming tale for Christmas 😁

pixelburp · 23-12-2021 8:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118358505#Comment_118358505

I've become so used to prose, especially sci-fi, being so pedestrian and functional, the Babel series has been like a shock to the system. Josiah Bancroft seems to have an unerring knack for (frankly) gorgeous, evocative prose without dipping into it being overdone or ostentatious. Half the enjoyment has been the sheer reading of the words, as well as its story and characters (Tom Senlin being a great example of a terrible idiot you find yourself slowly drawn to). I'd often go back and reread a line or two cos it just was such a beautiful description of something mundane.

About 30% through Fall of Babel myself, so glad to hear most things will be wrapped up. Will be keen to know what Bancroft does next.

lordgoat · 29-12-2021 11:00am

Still on book 9 on the Malayan do they ever get across this **** desert?

Gary kk · 29-12-2021 8:35pm

It's actually a Warren if I remember correctly it's the shadow of ice it's the arch that leads to Malazan facing off against the assail

Gary kk · 29-12-2021 8:36pm

I am joking

ixoy · 31-12-2021 1:01am

Read "One Day All This Will Be Yours" by Adrian Tchaikovsky, his 78th published work this year and approximately his 1,573rd work overall :D It's a novella (novellete? Just under 100 pages) and is a fun time travel set up where the lead character (story is in the first person) is living at the end of time and determined to stop other time travellers reaching him. It's a bit silly and I wasn't always sold on the humour or lead character but there's enjoyment with some of the paradoxes and set up and, it being so short, I raced through it.

That brings me up to date with his 2021 works and, so far, I see he's got at least two novels and two novellas lined up for 2022.

ixoy · 04-01-2022 1:27am

"Tyrant's Throne" by Sebastien de Castell, the final book in his Greatcoats quartet. I found the same flaws others did with this - that it felt like re-treading over old ground, with some of the same banter / jokes and, most of all, being stuck in the narrator - Falcio's - viewpoint. The series would greatly have benefited from switching to the perspective of some of the other Greatcoats as Falcio became quite tiresome at times with this piety. The characters and plots did get quite well tied up but I'd only read the further (promised) adventures if we got it from multiple POVs.
"Empire of Silence" by Christopher Ruocchio, the first book in his "Sun Eater" quartet. Accurately described as riffing off of 'Dune' with the structure of the Kingkiller Chronicles, it took me a long time to finish this. I found the prose quite turgid which made it a slog. There's some interesting things in here but nothing that really stood out. I may go and read further installments but I'm in no rush to.

Glebee · 07-01-2022 4:36pm

A Wizard of Earthsea: I have a vague memory of attempting to read this when I was very young. Probably just after reading The Hobbit so maybe when I was 9 of 10 but never finished it so decided to revisit. Its a lovely simple read and I must say im really enjoying it. Dont know what it is but maybe it just the way its written..

pixelburp · 07-01-2022 4:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118358505#Comment_118358505

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118367418#Comment_118367418

Man you weren't kidding with that development you mentioned: just finished The Fall of Babel last night myself and ... yeah. Somewhat satisfying ending in places, but like yourself found myself a bit befuddled and holding a slew of new questions that (as far as I know) were never hinted at in any prior novel.

What Are You Reading?

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