Reading in December 2011

[Astra_]

Yes, it is.

Nice
I will add the trilogy to my TBR list then
Ta!

 

[suciul]

I think this is the top book I'm looking forward to in 2012. Shame it's out on the 4th day of the year...nothing more to look forward to with the same level of anticipation for the rest of the year.

Maybe you want to try Mary Gentle's new offering which for me is one of the huge asaps from "not the usual suspects" (eg KJ Parker, A Tchaikovsky, Mark Newton etc); also I heard Christopher priest will have another book out in 2012...

Back on topic, while still waiting for the reading time needed for Daemon Prism, I finished last night a book that is so crazy that it definitely belongs to the speculative field, namely Recollection of the Golden Triangle by A. Robbe-Grillet. I need at least one reread to make real sense of it though it may still be that there is no such "real sense' with the time shifts, the narrative shifts and the moving around of characters, but it is a truly haunting and visual book that just throws at you unforgettable imagery (ARG was a theorist and founder of the "nouveau roman" that eschewed psychological analysis for imagery, precise descriptions and crazy narratives that play with time and person) and comparable with anything I've read from Christopher Priest for example

Edit: here is the blurb which is "generally" accurate - it is for the 1994 edition which is still in print and the author who passed away in 2008 was alive of course at the time

"A provocative novel by the most influential living French writer, Recollections of the Golden Triangle is a tour de force: a literary thriller constructed of wildly diverse elements--fantasy and dream, erotic invention, and the stuff of popular fiction and movies taken to its farthest limits.

A secret door that is opened slightly by an electronic device, a beautiful hanged factory girl, a pale young aristocrat whose blood apparently nourishes his vampiric lover, the evil Dr. Morgan who conducts his experiments in "tertiary dream behavior," the beautiful and sinister women from the world of horror films, and the investigating police, who are not all what they seem to be, are just some of the ingredients of this intriguing new novel by the French master of the intellectual thriller, whose novels and films have effectively changed the way we can look at the "real" world today."

 

[DDCOrange]

Just finished Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris. I admit that I find the Sookie Stackhouse series a guilty pleasure. After all what it seems to boil down to for a lot of people is the weird love life of a telepathic Louisiana barmaid with supernatural boyfriends. In spite of that I like the storyline, the characters and the way Harris somehow keeps it all fresh. Dead and Gone was the ninth book in the series but I was up half the night because I simply couldn't put it down without finding out what happens. It was one of the better efforts so far in the series.

 

[Contrarius]

I think this is the top book I'm looking forward to in 2012. Shame it's out on the 4th day of the year...nothing more to look forward to with the same level of anticipation for the rest of the year.

Cooel. I liked the Rai-Kirah trilogy very much. I've been wanting to read more of hers, but I do prefer reading completed series. So I'll just have to wait til January, then I can read this whole trilogy at one go.

edited to add -- oh, and what I'm currently reading -- I'm on a mini mystery/thriller kick. Read the first two Inspector Rebus novels by Rankin -- second is much better than the first, but I'm not thrilled with the writing in either. Now reading the first Dave Robicheaux novel by Burke. I've already read #3, now I'm going back to do em in order. LOVE Burke's writing. Great stuff.

 

[Rob B]

As if my to read pile isn't large enough, both in what I actually have and what I want (and now what's on my Kindle Fire) all the positive talk about Carol Berg over the past few months is pushing me to re-acquaint myself with her work, which is an impressive body over such a relatively short time.

 

[Raule]

I think this is the top book I'm looking forward to in 2012. Shame it's out on the 4th day of the year...nothing more to look forward to with the same level of anticipation for the rest of the year.

Same here. I'm really looking forward to it, and am thinking about re-reading the first two at some point this month.

I'm in between books at the moment. Giving thought to switching gears and catching up on some of the kiddie lit in my TBR. Alan Garner's books are looking tempting. I somehow missed him when I was growing up.

 

[Seak]

Finished Prince of Thorns yesterday and it was excellent, it's a very quick read too.

Decided to drop all my planned reads for the rest of the year, it was making my reading life depressing, and jumped into Neil Gaiman's Stardust. Loved the movie, let's see how this goes.

 

[beniowa]

I've read several books since I last posted here, but among the most recent was Master of the House of Darts by Aliette de Bodard. de Bodard has improved a little since the first of the cross-genre Obsidion and Blood books and I quite enjoyed the final one. I hear the author is planning to write some novels in her alternate history universe, of which she already has several short stories, and I'm looking forward to that.

Also breezed through Sanderson's Alloy of Law. Felt a bit light and short, maybe even a little weak, for a Sanderson book, but it was nice to visit the world of Mistborn again.

Then I read The Dragon Arcana by Pierre Pevel. I had the impression before that this series was going to be longer than three books, but apparently I guess it's only a trilogy. Anyway, felt a little bit stronger than the second book and it had a good, strong finish.

Not sure what I'm going to read next yet.

 

[algernoninc]

Finished The Sacred Band by David Anthony Durham. A fine conclusion to a truly epic journey. It took me a while to get back into the story because the first part had so many jumps in POV's and it's been awhile since I read The Other Lands, but the author managed quite well to keep control of the plot and to ramp up the tension toward the finish.
I can also understand why another reader mentioned some people may have issues with the direction the story took in the final pages. I don't want to give spoilers, but in the end Acacia steers closer to the traditional values of epic fantasy.
I'm really curious and looking forward to what will come next from this author.

Now I'm back to Kingdom of the Gods by N K Jemisin and hoping to make time to start on Murakami for the book club.

 

[PeterWilliam]

I'll be finishing up S.L. Farrell's Holder of Lightning this evening. I was rather lukewarm to the book through the first several chapters (i.e. 50p), but began warming to it as the book began to wind the tension in an exponential fashion. I was surprised that it continued to do so throughout the story thus far (have 50+p left). Lately, I've been picking up book #1 of series and going, or dropping, from there. The day when I would purchase a whole series and read through it are definitely gone. I am pleased to say that the last two such efforts (i.e. Farrell's and Resnick's In Legend Born) were successful.

Holder of Lightning seemed like a fusion of Hobb's Farseer books and May's Boreal Moon series. While I wasn't particularly high on May's series, it was due to what I saw as unfulfilled potential. That is to say that with the culture, characters and plot the author had going, it should have finished up much better than it did. While the Celtic/Gaelic culture and magic stones of Farrell's work seem extremely reminiscent of May's works, right down to the powerful 'mage-lights' in the night sky, Farrell's main character is very much like Fitzchivalry, only female. I suppose I would say that those enjoying Farseer might enjoy this first book, although obviously I have no idea where the rest of the series is going - but I will be ordering it soon. It is in that sense that I do not understand how an author/series such as Hobb/Farseer, et al., can be so well known and widely read, while Farrell's is a series I added to the 'maybe' list years ago because of a singular mention in some obscure post somewhere here in the echoing halls of SFFWorld. Similarly, I see plenty of requests for great female authors of fantasy fiction and can't understand why Resnick's series doesn't have far more notoriety than it does.

*segue* My order of Resnick's follow up works have arrived. It is titled In Fire Forged and comes in two books - The White Dragon and the The Destroyer Goddess. That's where I'll be heading next.

 

[DarthV]

I've had China Mieville's Iron Council hardcover sitting on the TBR for a VERY long time (bought in 2004!). Finally got around to reading it. Great read. Always love his characters, world lore and story lines.

 

[Erfael]

It is in that sense that I do not understand how an author/series such as Hobb/Farseer, et al., can be so well known and widely read, while Farrell's is a series I added to the 'maybe' list years ago because of a singular mention in some obscure post somewhere here in the echoing halls of SFFWorld. Similarly, I see plenty of requests for great female authors of fantasy fiction and can't understand why Resnick's series doesn't have far more notoriety than it does.

I tried Farrell's later series (Magic of Twilight, I think) and liked things about it but was relatively bored by 2/3 of the way through. I'm not even sure I finished it (Ah, the book club thread tells me I skimmed the final third). That, combined with the seeming cheesiness of the cover and blurb for Lightning meant I never tried it. Maybe I'll stick book 1 on my to-try list.

As to Resnick, until you started talking her up, can't say I've heard anything about her. I'll definitely try her once I can get my hands on a copy without it taking up room in the house.

 

[Rob B]

It is in that sense that I do not understand how an author/series such as Hobb/Farseer, et al., can be so well known and widely read, while Farrell's is a series I added to the 'maybe' list years ago because of a singular mention in some obscure post somewhere here in the echoing halls of SFFWorld. Similarly, I see plenty of requests for great female authors of fantasy fiction and can't understand why Resnick's series doesn't have far more notoriety than it does.

I tried Farrell's later series (Magic of Twilight, I think) and liked things about it but was relatively bored by 2/3 of the way through. I'm not even sure I finished it (Ah, the book club thread tells me I skimmed the final third). That, combined with the seeming cheesiness of the cover and blurb for Lightning meant I never tried it. Maybe I'll stick book 1 on my to-try list.

Same thing happened when I tried Magic of Twilight, I SOOO wanted to like it, but after about 100 pages I gave up since I felt the story wasn't moving anywhere.

 

[murf99]

Just over half way through Heroes Die by Stover. Awesome so far. Could possibly become my fav read of the year. Can't believe this book came out in 98 and I'm only getting around to reading it now. Highly recommended.

 

[Hobbit]

Can't believe this book came out in 98 and I'm only getting around to reading it now.

It's quite hard to get now, isn't it? It is one of Rob's favourite reads of all time, I believe.

Mark

 

[NickeeCoco]

I think this is the top book I'm looking forward to in 2012. Shame it's out on the 4th day of the year...nothing more to look forward to with the same level of anticipation for the rest of the year.

Little late to this party, but I agree. The three books I'm looking forward the most all come out in the beginning of the year. This one, Elizabeth Moon's final book to her new trilogy and the last book of Robin McKinley's duology.

 

[Rob B]

It's quite hard to get now, isn't it? It is one of Rob's favourite reads of all time, I believe.

Mark

Sure is one of my favorites. I think the first book is easier to get than the second, Blade of Tyshalle. I will be re-reading all three books before Caine's Law publishes in 2012.

 

[murf99]

Sure is one of my favorites. I think the first book is easier to get than the second, Blade of Tyshalle. I will be re-reading all three books before Caine's Law publishes in 2012.

Yeah the first one you can still get in mmpb on Amazon. The 2nd one I can't find it any where. Gonna have to do some digging for sure. If its any thing as good as the first one I can't wait to get my hands on it.

 

[Hobbit]

The 2nd one I can't find it any where. Gonna have to do some digging for sure.

I got a secondhand copy cheap, but last time I noticed copies were going for ridiculous amounts: $60 for a paperback, that sort've thing.

Best of luck with that hunt...

LATER EDIT: AbeBooks have reasonably priced copies HERE.

Mark

 

[murf99]

I got a secondhand copy cheap, but last time I noticed copies were going for ridiculous amounts: $60 for a paperback, that sort've thing.

Best of luck with that hunt...

LATER EDIT: AbeBooks have reasonably priced copies HERE.

Mark

Awesome. Thx a lot.