Reading in March 2011

[PeterWilliam]

Whoa! Stop the presses, PeterW is going to read an .... omnibus?!?!?!

That's right. Autobots, let's roll!!!

Now all I need is the Malazan series to come out in a single omnibus. Forklift and pick-up truck standing by.

 

[Loerwyn]

Now all I need is the Malazan series to come out in a single omnibus. Forklift and pick-up truck standing by.

It's already out. It's called An Accordian.

I'll get my coat...

 

[Evil Agent]

It's already out. It's called An Accordian.

I'll get my coat...

The funny thing is, I think the Malazan books combined would actually be bigger than an according.

 

[Erfael]

Finished up James Barclay's Noonshade.

While I'm not always one for "fighting" fantasy, I have enjoyed both of the Barclay books I've read. They're very action-heavy. It's been some time since I'd read Dawnthief, and this may have hurt my read of Noonshade just a bit. The characters were in no way fresh in my mind, and Noonshade picks up exactly where Dawnthief left off, with very little in the way of refresher. It took me a good third of the book to piece together some of who these people were and what had happened in the previous book.

It's possible to say the characters were a little thin, but I think they were given more depth in the first book. It's not the author's fault I read it so far back as to forget a lot of detail.

All in all, this one is full of fun maneuverings. It's in no way political, which I would usually count as a minus, but in this case it works. Lots of battles, hacking at people with swords, and shooting them in the face with fireballs.

In some ways the peripheral characters worked better for me, particularly the mages in their individual college struggles and the struggle on the dragon homeworld. They somehow ended up being slightly more interesting to me than the sections with The Raven, but, again, that could come back to my not recalling too much of who the individual members really were. There wasn't much depth added to them in this second book...to the point that sometimes pages would go by and I'd forget who was on the scene.

All in all, though, something I enjoy reading periodically.

 

[pat5150]

Just finished Paul Kearney's Corvus.

It's another brutal and uncompromising tale of warfare and survival written by one of the most underrated talents in the fantasy genre.

Patrick

 

[MattNY]

Just finished Paul Kearney's Corvus.

It's another brutal and uncompromising tale of warfare and survival written by one of the most underrated talents in the fantasy genre.

Patrick

It wasn't on my radar as I hadn't read anything by Kearney, but that is a pretty compelling sentence to promote a book. With that being said, is this book a perfectly starting point for a first-time reader of Kearney?

 

[Corporal Blues]

It wasn't on my radar as I hadn't read anything by Kearney, but that is a pretty compelling sentence to promote a book. With that being said, is this book a perfectly starting point for a first-time reader of Kearney?

Not really, you should start with The Ten Thousand which is the first tale starring Richtus, who is in both books.

Or better yet read Kearney's Monarchies of God series which started out as a 5 book series and is collected now in 2 book omnibus style. The first volume is called Hawkwood and the Kings. Definitely worth checking out.

 

[Erfael]

I'm starting in on Jeff Vandermeer's Finch tonight. So far it's very nice being back in Ambergris, although it's slightly changed from previous iterations in that the grey caps have taken over and the city has gone fungal. In fact, after 50 pages it's reading a lot like funguspunk, something I've never come across before. So far, it's a murder mystery, but I think it will probably go other places by the end. More in a few days when I finish.

 

[Cymric]

just finished
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

Just started

Wisemans Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

 

[MattNY]

Not really, you should start with The Ten Thousand which is the first tale starring Richtus, who is in both books.

Or better yet read Kearney's Monarchies of God series which started out as a 5 book series and is collected now in 2 book omnibus style. The first volume is called Hawkwood and the Kings. Definitely worth checking out.

Thanks for the tips, I have added those to my list.

On another note, I am on the those that was reading WMF this month and finished it a few days ago. I posted thoughts in the spoiler thread, but for here, I will say I enjoyed it overall and am looking forward to the next volume in the series.

 

[algernoninc]

I finished Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher : I enjoyed it, with some reservations. It is well written , with likable characters, fast and frequent action, interesting worldbuilding and powerful magic system. I wonder though if it isn't Jim Butcher who is writing a parody of the heroic fantasy genre and not Patrick Rothfuss: the plot is so contrived and at the same time predictable, the dialogue cheesy with patriotic feelings and the main hero is turning fast into an unbeatable Gary Stu. This is the third book and the third time the Empire is facing total annihilation with the only hope resting on the youthful shoulders of the "orphan baker boy".
The series is redeemed in part by the author sense of humor - i can fell him winking at me at suggesting that I not take myself too seriously, relax, turn off my brain and enjoy the rollercoaster ride.

... and now for something completely different I've started The Hammer by K J Parker. Really looking forward to this (cue the fanboy fanfare)

 

[Sonja Ravenscroft]

I'm still working through Canticle for Leibowitz-and must have been really "out of it" mentally when I read it many years ago-I'm getting so much more out of it now-its "clicking" rather nicely

 

[Daddy Darth]

I am not sure if Brown's Lost Symbol qualifies as fantasy, science-fiction or what. But that is what I have been reading. The first 150 pages was a real slog and totally lacked the breakneck pace I associated with Angels and Demons and the Davinci Code. The main charachter, Langdon, also seemed to be off his game - playing dumb. The story picked up pacing wise after that but there is an aspect to the story involving the Noetic sceinces which is just so ridiculous that I kind of groan whenever it comes up. Too much info-dumping as well. Everytime you turn around someone is giving a history lesson. Lastly, the antagonist is ridiculous.

Despite that there is a lot to enjoy if you like Brown and his favourite creation, Robert Langdon. I think maybe in part I have outgrown Brown.

Anyway 100 pages to go and since it is a really fast read I am definitely finishing.

 

[Loerwyn]

I started Gaiman's Smoke & Mirrors today. Yay

 

[suciul]

... and now for something completely different I've started The Hammer by K J Parker. Really looking forward to this (cue the fanboy fanfare)

Curious how you will like that since to me it was the "sunniest" KJ Parker novel to date - maybe the author is mellowing a bit and needless to say I loved it and read it like 3 times so far

Back on topic, as sff goes i have been still in "cannot get over" The River of Shadows, so awesome was that novel and I found it hard to read anything else new, though I read a bunch of more literary fiction one of which (Thera/Shalev) also blew me away quite unexpectedly and one (Tiger's Wife/Obreht) that is very hyped but left me cold, but now a copy of S. Bakker's White Luck Warrior should come soon and in the meantime I may get on with either Among Thieves/Hulick or Shadow's Lure/Sprunk as fantasy goes.

 

[DurzoBlint]

Finished Feist's Silverthorn, not as good as the first two books but it is leading up to something. Hopefully it comes to a satisfying conclusion.

I have an ARC of The Immune by Meisenheimer that I am now reading, so far it is interesting. Not all that far into it to form an opinion just yet.

 

[Randy M.]

I started Gaiman's Smoke & Mirrors today. Yay

Fun book. One of the most enjoyable story collections I've read in the last few years. It reminded me of the kind of story collections I read growing up in that there was a mix of genre and a steady level of craftsmanship.

Just finished Claude Seignolle's The Nightcharmer and Other Stories. Seignolle is a French writer whose scholarly interest in folklore, about which he published several books, eventually led him to writing fiction in the 1940s. The stories in this collection mainly come from the 1960s and early 1970s and are fantasies leaning toward horror as, I take it, are most of his stories.

According to the translator, Seignolle's body of fiction splits between those set in urban locations and those set in the countryside and dealing with village folk. The former stories in the collection strike me as Twilight Zone-ish. The others have a certain old-school charm that makes them feel older: Except for relatively explicit references to sex, they could have found a home in Weird Tales. "Starfish" has the Twilight Zone feel, it concerns an actress famous for her beauty who comes to a resort off season to recover from a disfiguring accident. "Last Rites" feels a bit M. R. James-like, though dealing with material James would have avoided.

Probably the best story is also the longest, "The Outlander," about the devil come to a town in human guise. Seignolle does a good job of conveying the title characters state of mind and growing ambivalence. The story would make a fine addition to an anthology.

Right now I'm reading another collection of fantasy/horror, The Motion Demon by Stefan Grabinski.


Randy M.

 

[Corporal Blues]

Curious how you will like that since to me it was the "sunniest" KJ Parker novel to date - maybe the author is mellowing a bit and needless to say I loved it and read it like 3 times so far.

I just finished reading The Hammer myself. Going in, I thought it would be my first K.J. Parker experience, but it turns out I read Colours in the Steel a few years back.

The Hammer was pretty solid, all the way around.

In the realm of characters, Parker did quite well. Gignomai, and many of the other supporting characters are very interesting to read, and their motivations and actions are very true to the type of person they are. The Hammer isn't a very action packed novel, and instead focuses on the characters and why they do what they do. The nice thing is that as a reader, I actually cared for them, and fretted over their actions. Unlike many writers, Parker did not just develop two or three characters then let the other supporting characters fade to obscurity. Instead he/she (?) created a strong cast of characters that are all quite interesting in their own way.

The plot itself was also quite solid. There was a nice "air of the mysterious" to it, as for much of the novel you only get little snippets as to what exactly Gignomai is up to. The variety of character's interests and desires made the plot a total toss-up as I had no idea what the final outcome would end up being. This made for an enjoyable read. I should add that though the plot has a lot of ins and outs, Parker does a good job of keeping everything clear and doesn't disorient the reader with unnecessary detail.

Lastly, as I read I got a strong sense that Parker put a lot of research into The Hammer. The colonial setting has a very authentic feel to it, and the tools, and machinery and such all feel like they fit perfectly in the setting. Parker's descriptions of how the flint-lock pistols and rifles operate was a nice touch too. There was a fairly good deal of pre-industrial technology at work in this novel, and Parker's knowledge of these things shined in the narrative.

 

[Loerwyn]

Fun book. One of the most enjoyable story collections I've read in the last few years. It reminded me of the kind of story collections I read growing up in that there was a mix of genre and a steady level of craftsmanship.

I'm only a few into it, but I'm absolutely loving it. Gaiman is an excellent writer going by just this and Coraline

 

[Keyoke]

It's been awhile since I picked up a book, well, 3 weeks..which is a long time. I was in Japan from March 1 to the 20.. And no, I wasnt near the affected area. I was in Tokyo but had just left when the big quake hit. Felt some after shocks though..

So, it's definitely nice to sit in my chair and crack the spine of a book. Gonna start Gemmel's last novel, The Fall of Kings. Enjoyed the first two, and guess I should wrap this series up. I may get disctracted by Dead Beat by Butcher as well.

Keyoke