Reading in January 2009

[Gilgamesh]

I recently finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and it's now one of my favorites ever. Loved it.

I'm very, but very confused whether I should read this book or not. I heard only praising words about it for a while. Then, I guess because of the hype and the high expectations, I read pretty bad reviews/disappointments. To date, I've heard so many mixed reviews that I guess I'm going to have to make my own opinion about it... one day...

 

[suciul]

Last year - with a bit of cheating - SF was still my top genre reading with 78 books finished, though fantasy came closer than ever with 65 books, and with mainstream fantastic 46 books added in it probably would have surpassed the total (most books I considered as mainstream fantastic would qualify as fantasy rather than sf, though it's not clear-cut)

However I started 2009 finishing so far 6 genre fantasy books and I think this year, the first in 20 years, genre sf will not be top, and first time ever, genre fantasy will be.

So far I fast read books 1-3 of the Long Price series by D. Abraham. They just did not connect with me, though I kept reading and fast-reading to find an entry point which will hook me since they got so great reviews including from some of my favorite reviewers like Cheryl Morgan. The style just does not chime with me.

I read The Accidental Sorcerer by KE Mills aka K. Miller, and while it starts as a humor, gag after gag light fantasy, it evolves into a darker, secret agent with magic stuff so it held my interest for book 2 due next month. if you like Ms. Miller' style, you will enjoy this one.

I finished Kushiel 2 and then started and finished Kushiel 3 since I want to read all six books before book 7 gets released this year. Kushiel 2 had a great beginning but then it meandered for a while, though it had a superb last hundred pages, while Kushiel 3 has been my favorite book of the series so far. I read Kushiel 1 and 2 slowly over time at least until about half when they hooked me enough to *have to finish to them now*, but Kushiel 3 grabbed from the beginning and I stayed way too late to finish it.

Next I started Kushiel 4, though I may want to finish Feast of Souls by CS Friedman first where I am abut 200 pages in and it started to hook me too.

 

[...]

Just finished A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham and I have to say it was much better than the first book. Of course, this could be due to the fact that I knew that there wasn't going to be any swords or sorcery in the book.

About 350 pages into the 3rd Brent Weeks book. Its a good, quick, entertaining read.

 

[Seak]

I'm very, but very confused whether I should read this book or not. I heard only praising words about it for a while. Then, I guess because of the hype and the high expectations, I read pretty bad reviews/disappointments. To date, I've heard so many mixed reviews that I guess I'm going to have to make my own opinion about it... one day...

Do it, do it!

It's just sooo good. I listened to it on audiobook on my commutes and I couldn't wait to get back in the car each day.

It's really dry, English humor that's incredibly witty and clever. The imagination is amazing and it almost sounds like the actual history of England. There are even footnotes, which one probably need not necessarily read all the time, but you would miss out if you didn't read them. They are the funniest tangents.

 

[anna_jean]

I'm very, but very confused whether I should read this book or not. I heard only praising words about it for a while. Then, I guess because of the hype and the high expectations, I read pretty bad reviews/disappointments. To date, I've heard so many mixed reviews that I guess I'm going to have to make my own opinion about it... one day...

I absolutely agree with Seak, it has a quaint sort of pull to it, I think the footnotes enrich the story and to me it's in a league of it's own, never read anything like it.
You should get it really, to make up your own mind about it, hope you like it as much

 

[hobbs525]

Happy New Year to everyone!!

I am currently finishing Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks and I must say I have loved all of these in the series. The characters are totally developed and I found the books quite descriptive. I was however disappointed that

Spoiler

Durzo was killed off

and part of me expects

Spoiler

him to "reappear"

before the end of this book.

[ADMIN EDIT: BIG SPOILERS about the book. Covered them up! Hobbit]

 

[ObtusePunubiris]

Halfway through Wizard's First Rule. Decided to read it and see what it's about. It may be a mistake though as I've seen all kinds of feedback on the book, as well as the hokie tv series, which may have poisoned my ability to read it without looking for all the bad things expected to be found. Halfway through however, it seems far better than the silly tv show.

Oh yeah. Whatever problems the books may have, they are infinitely better than the TV show. I watched the first couple episodes of the show, expecting very little from them, and was still disappointed. How sad is that?

I'm reading Kushiel's Dart. The worldbuilding is good but now i'm wondering whether or not I'll get tired of the SM stuff by the end of the book

IIRC, the frequency of the SM content tapers off as the story progresses, though I don't recall if that started happening in the first book or the second. In any case, I was a bit worried about the same thing when I read the books. I kept reading, however, and was happy with that decision in the end.

 

[xvart]

I'm also reading Watchmen by Alan Moore - I'm not a big fan of graphic novels, but this one is pretty good![/B]

That's an understatement!

I'm currently reading A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham. I'm about halfway through, and it is pretty good. It offers some interesting and different sociological aspects to fantasy (like poets "describing" everyday things that give the citizens power). I think I'll end up liking it a lot. It isn't overly long and epic (at this point) so I think it will be a nice, concise series.

xvart.

 

[BrightStar]

Last year - with a bit of cheating - SF was still my top genre reading with 78 books finished, though fantasy came closer than ever with 65 books, and with mainstream fantastic 46 books added in it probably would have surpassed the total (most books I considered as mainstream fantastic would qualify as fantasy rather than sf, though it's not clear-cut)

However I started 2009 finishing so far 6 genre fantasy books and I think this year, the first in 20 years, genre sf will not be top, and first time ever, genre fantasy will be.

I wish I could get through that many books in a year! I tend to consider it an achievement if I manage more than five in a single month, and I doubt five is an all that frequent achievement as it is.

Still, maybe it's a good thing that I'm a fairly slow reader. I'm running out of room already for the books I do have (and keep buying) and even though I sell off anything I don't intend to read again, I'm still amassing a huge collection. Not to mention the cost of my to-read pile.

Still reading Flightless Falcon at the moment. There's not that much I can say about this book really: it seems like a decent story, simple idea in a fairly typical fantasy setting (so far). I'm liking the characters and finding their interactions fun to read about. So far, I think it'll turn out to be a fun book, but not entirely memorable or worthy of a re-read.

 

[Apathy]

Cool. Finished Homeland by R.A. Salvatore. My only complaint about the book is that i wish its scope was a little larger. What about the normal non-noble dark elves? What about the normal day-to-day lives of the normal dark elves? Otherwise the book wa fun and enjoyable. Very good action scenes. Really got me going. I was like KILL THAT *** ** * *****!! I also liked the father as well. Quite a good enjoyable book.

 

[...]

Cool. Finished Homeland by R.A. Salvatore. My only complaint about the book is that i wish its scope was a little larger. What about the normal non-noble dark elves? What about the normal day-to-day lives of the normal dark elves? Otherwise the book wa fun and enjoyable. Very good action scenes. Really got me going. I was like KILL THAT *** ** * *****!! I also liked the father as well. Quite a good enjoyable book.

I haven't read many of the Forgetten Realms books, besides Salvatores, but there probably close to 100 if not more of them and I'm sure many of them delve into regular elves.

 

[pockiiee]

Just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - I'm so glad I got it, based upon a recommendation here. The characters were really likable thieves and it reminded me of a heist movie, full of action, double crosses and suspense. It surprised me because I usually prefer female authors who write in the first person ( Robin Hobb, Carol Berg, etc) who have a bit of romance thrown in, but this has got to be one of he most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. The sequel is on order already.

Got a book called Soul of Fire by Sarah A Hoyt for Christmas (probably because it has a dragon on the cover) It looks like it's the second in a trilogy but very much a stand-alone story. It's got a very interesting setting - turn of he century Victorian India in which shape shifters ( tigers, monkeys and Dragons) co-exist, and seem to be after the heroine, a British/Indian girl's, dowry. There's a strong romantic overtone that's a bit predictable, but I'm enjoying all the humor in he side story with the monkey shifters court. Has anyone else read this series?

 

[hippokrene]

I haven't read many of the Forgetten Realms books, besides Salvatores, but there probably close to 100 if not more of them and I'm sure many of them delve into regular elves.

He's talking about regular drow. The only authors who focus on the drow are RA Salvadore (Drizzt) and Elaine Cunningham (Liriel), both of whom are nobles. There was also the War of the Spider Queen series, which I believe only focused on the noble houses and the priestesses.

So no, there's little to no depiction of non-high born drow that I'm aware of.

 

[Apathy]

I finished the DARK ELF trilogy. Should I read the ICEWIND DALE Trilogy? Or go on with the LEGACY OF THE DROW trilogy??

 

[U-Borat]

Read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy; have to say, slightly disappointing especially compared with Elantris, which I feel is a far superior book to any book in the trilogy.

Working on Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince trilogy, and will then read her Dragon Star trilogy, and i'll make it a trilogy of dragon trilogies by reading Michael Stackpole's Dragoncrown war trilogy. =D

 

[hippokrene]

I finished the DARK ELF trilogy. Should I read the ICEWIND DALE Trilogy? Or go on with the LEGACY OF THE DROW trilogy??

If you're doing this chronologically, the Icewind Dale triology is next.

 

[Shayna]

A few chapters more and I will be finished the Legacy of the Drow! Really enjoy these books, I shall be taking a break though and moving on to something with kind of a bite to it!! Love China Mieville and I haven't had the chance to read his King Rat yet. I always reccommend his Perdido Street Station to everyone I see interested in any kind of Dark Material. Really, for that matter, any of his books are a great read!

The other book I have been staring at is Anathem by Stephenson. A big book, but it just has something to offer anyone who really wants their brain to have a total workout!! hahaha!!

 

[Astra_]

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I am curious about it too. I will read as soon as it is being published as ebook in MS Reader.lit format

Finished Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. 8/10
Started the second book in the Farseer Trilogy, Royal Assassin.

 

[molybdenum]

Doing a bunch of re-reading right now, leading up to the fall when I'm hoping to get the paperbacks of Toll the Hounds and Return of the Crimson Guard, the big copy of the 9th Malazan book, (not sure of the name), and the hard copy of A Memory of Light. If Dance of Dragons is out by then (big if), well that's just icing on the cake.

I'm finding Gardens of the Moon a lot better on the re-read. I'm noticing a ton of things that I didn't see the first time, for instance, that Adjunct Lorn is only 20 throughout the course of the book. That amazed me when I found it for some reason. She's probably younger then Paran. (Can't prove that though.)

U-Borat, just out of interest, what was it you liked about Elantris that wasn't there in Mistborn? I found everything he did well in Elantris he did better in Mistborn, and the things that were done not-so-well in Elantris were a bit better in Mistborn. I'm not saying my opinion's right, and yours is wrong or anything, I'm just interested.

 

[pat5150]

Just finished reading C. S. Friedman's upcoming Wings of Wrath, the sequel to Feast of Souls. Man, what a ride!

Hands down, one of the fantasy books to read in 2009!

Patrick