Fantasy Reading in October 2014

[Randy M.]

With Halloween on its way, I am re-reading A Night on the Moor & Other Tales of Dread, a collection of short stories by R. Murray Gilchrist.

Oh, that sounds good. I know I have anthologies with Gilchrist stories in them but can't recall if I've read any.

Just started Tales of Witchcraft edited by Richard Dalby. Enjoyed the Saki story "The Peace of Mowsle Barton," with his usual wry point of view, and the M.R. James story "The Fenstanton Witch," though not one of his best, had its moments. Now part way through N. Dennett's "Unburied Bane."


Randy M.

 

[Nechtan]

Finished Ian Esslemont's Assail. Did I enjoy it? I'm not sure. Although it was an page turner, a lot of the same issues from his other books turn up here. Some bland characters, a few pointless storylines and situations and a general lack of cohesion. I don't know what to make of Esslemont's writing. I'm not sure if the Malazan style suits him. Steven Erikson is very talented at switching POVs and situations, thematically linking them and bringing it altogether at the end. Esslemont can be very good at creating and evoking atmosphere; the abandoned ships episode in the Sea of Dread in Assail, the stifling jungles in Blood and Bones and he's really good at battle scenes. He doesn't do so well at characterisation and he might be better off spending more time with less characters than less time with many. Maybe a more linear approach would suit him.

Since finishing Assail, I've been having a bit of an Ursula Le Guin fest. Although I'm a big fan of the Earthsea books, I've never read the Other Wind. I didn't think it was as good as the first ones but it was still enjoyable. I'm now reading Voices. I'm enjoying it so far and I'm intrigued to see how it turns out.

 

[algernoninc]

I know a lot of members here are fans of the Riyria books by Michael J Sullivan, so I have some good news and some less cheery news for them:

- He is working on a new epic fantasy series called The First Empire. Like the Riyria books, the author aims to have the whole series written before it is published (four books planned, three written already). I have been lucky to be selected as a beta reader for Rhune, the first novel in the series, and I think it is in great shape, as good and possibly even better than the adventures of Royce and Hadrian.

- There is no publication date set yet, earliest summer 2015, latest 2016.

Since the book is still in production, I can't say much about the plot, but it has great characters, snappy dialogue and an ambitious worldbuilding. For those interested, the best place to get details is directly from the author, at :

http://firstempireseries.com/

 

[Ryan Mueller]

Finished Trapped by Kevin Hearne (the fifth book in the Iron Druid Chronicles). I love this series so much. It's fun, funny, and fast-paced (with tons of action). This one ended on a slight cliffhanger, but I'm okay with that.

 

[Evil Agent]

Reading some creepy H. P. Lovecraft for Halloween.

Dreams in the Witch House, The Thing on the Doorstep, Nyarlathotep, and Dagon.

 

[DJ94122]

I just finished A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan, putting me halfway through the Wheel of Time. Seven down, seven to go.

What can I say? Well, if I had to pick a favorite of the first seven I couldn't do it. In some of the first few books, I found myself annoyed with the knowledge that I was going to have to read -millions- more words in order to find out how any of this was going to end. But at some point I dropped the petulance, took a deep breath, and just began enjoying the story. And Jordan has certainly weaved an elaborate story with many enjoyable and empathetic characters.

 

[Prothius]

Hello folks. I am rereading Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. Cannot recommend more highly.

 

[Ryan Mueller]

I just finished A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan, putting me halfway through the Wheel of Time. Seven down, seven to go.

What can I say? Well, if I had to pick a favorite of the first seven I couldn't do it. In some of the first few books, I found myself annoyed with the knowledge that I was going to have to read -millions- more words in order to find out how any of this was going to end. But at some point I dropped the petulance, took a deep breath, and just began enjoying the story. And Jordan has certainly weaved an elaborate story with many enjoyable and empathetic characters.

Warning: the next few books can be a struggle to get through. I thought 8 and 9 were on a similar level to 7, but book 10, Crossroads of Twilight, is very slow. Book 11 picks up a bit, and the last three were amazing. Brandon Sanderson's co-written books were actually my favorite because I prefer his writing style to Jordan's (though some WOT fans disagree).

 

[Ryan Mueller]

Finished Malice by John Gwynne. It took me a while to get into this one, but I persevered because I saw that it gets generally good reviews. The first half of the book was slow, but the second half was very good. Lots of action.

I had some minor quibbles with the writing, and I didn't like some of the POV characters as much as others, but I enjoyed it overall. I'm definitely interested to see where it's going.

 

[Davis Ashura]

Finished Bloodbound by Erin Lindsey. She had a guest post here...somewhere. Anyway, her book sounded interesting, so I gave it go.
I liked it a lot. It was fun, which is probably my favorite type of read. The book takes place in a proto-medieval setting but with an emphasis on gender equality. I liked that, too. Most times, I want something other than gray, tortured anti-heroes, and this book had characters that were all generally likable. Sure, some might say the main character had a bit of Mary Sue to her (beautiful, bad-a$$ warrior, smart, cunning, and has the love of several men), but for me, it was a minor issue. I did appreciate the strong element of romance in the book as well, especially since it was done so well. I don't find many fantasy novels do romance well. They're either 'bodice-rippers' with a barely plausible plot or lust at first sight. This was different. The romance seemed to develop organically. The only one issue I didn't like was the love triangle. I really don't like those. But my irritation with that trope wasn't enough to detract much from my enjoyment of the book. Given the romance, it was surprising the level of gritty action in the book.
All-in-all, it's a combination (romance and gritty action) that worked surprisingly well together. Or perhaps the author is simply a skilled enough writer to pull it off. I think it might be the latter.

 

[Hobbit]

Finished Malice by John Gwynne. It took me a while to get into this one, but I persevered because I saw that it gets generally good reviews. The first half of the book was slow, but the second half was very good. Lots of action.

I'm really out of the majority with this one. I really, really didn't like it, and was so disappointed by it when I reviewed it. Juvenile characters, immature writing - to me it read as a badly written YA novel that wanted to be better than it was. STILL leaves a bitter taste, just thinking about it. Which is a shame, because John is evidently a really nice guy.

Onto better things: I really liked Mark Morris' Wolves of London, though perhaps more Steampunk SF than Fantasy.

And Kim Newman's Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard was as good as I hoped it would be. (Review to follow.) Imagine Hollywood in the 1970's -90's but with vampires...

M.

 

[Whitleyrr]

I just finished Acacia by David Anthony Durham and really enjoyed it. 4 stars! Now I think I'll read a few horror short stories (Ligotti, Ketchum, James) before moving on to the second Acacia book.

My hasty review of the first one:

This book was really a lot of fun to read, and a fantastic beginning to an epic fantasy. The characters were believable and sympathetic. The world was realized with vivid imagery, even if it felt a bit stock at times. The writing was accomplished and I only felt a few times that I was being subjected to "info-dump."

Inevitably the comparisons to GRRM have been and will be made. But I don't know that it's fair. So Durham uses children as protagonists. Martin doesn't have the corner on that market.

Spoiler

So a king dies and leaves the kingdom in chaos. Martin doesn't have the copyright to that plot device either, and a good thing he doesn't or we might not get any more epic fantasy!

I would like to know more about who/what the Numrek are. I would like to know more about who/what the Lothan Aklun are. I would like to know more about magic and the Santoth. But I suspect that's what the next two books are for.

So, what keeps this from being a five star rating? There were a few times I found a sentence jarringly poorly constructed enough that it actually took me out of the reading. Not often, but enough that I noted it.

Spoiler

The battle scene with the wild beasts at the end seemed entirely unrealistic to the point of being a bit silly.

Perhaps because the story was broken up into their different points of view, I felt I didn't know the Akaran children as much as I would have liked.

 

[Ryan Mueller]

I'm really out of the majority with this one. I really, really didn't like it, and was so disappointed by it when I reviewed it. Juvenile characters, immature writing - to me it read as a badly written YA novel that wanted to be better than it was. STILL leaves a bitter taste, just thinking about it. Which is a shame, because John is evidently a really nice guy.

Yeah, I can definitely see those points. If it hadn't been for the last 150 pages or so, I wouldn't have ended up liking the book. There were some issues with the writing that I'm surprised made it through professional editing, and it was very dull and slow in the early parts of the book. It also didn't feel like anything I haven't seen before (though that bothers me less than it does many readers).

 

[Hobbit]

It also didn't feel like anything I haven't seen before (though that bothers me less than it does many readers).

You know, after nearly two years I still can't say what I disliked about the book so much? I've read worse, and some with errors just as bad. And yet, this one was *so* disappointing.

I think that it frustrated me in that there was a reasonable book in there trying to get out. I don't mind a book that repeats old tropes if it is done well, personally. Sometimes it's rather like comfort eating, in that respect - you don't mind sitting with something that you pretty much know where its going and how it will end.

But this one really rankled.

M.

 

[Corporal Blues]

It's been a while since I've posted here... Life has kept me away from posting, but not necessarily from reading. My most notable genre read from October (though it is shelved with the general fiction) has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. This post-apocalyptic novel has a bit more of a tight focus compared to other novels of its ilk. The story is told first person and the reasons that led to the rapid decline of humanity aren't so much the focus as they are a backdrop for exploring the novel's narrator, Hig. I really enjoyed this novel, it was emotionally moving, gripping and it left room for me to think and make my own conclusions about the ending.

Now I'm sorta slogging through Lamb by Christopher Moore. It was recommended to me on two separate occasions by two separate friends. Though I'm enjoying the book, I don't think I'm enjoying it as much as I'm supposed to enjoy it. The humorous aspect of the novel is only slightly working for me, and some stretches of the book have felt really slow and tedious. I'm only a little over halfway through, so maybe it'll pick up.

 

[Hobbit]

Though I'm enjoying the book, I don't think I'm enjoying it as much as I'm supposed to enjoy it.

Must admit, I was the same. Humour is a very subjective thing, I find. All too often, what I find funny doesn't always translate to other readers, and vice versa.

Just may not be for you, Corp!

M.

 

[Corporal Blues]

Must admit, I was the same. Humour is a very subjective thing, I find. All too often, what I find funny doesn't always translate to other readers, and vice versa.

Just may not be for you, Corp!

M.

Yes, humor in books rarely translates for me. There are a few exceptions, Catch-22, The Princess Bride and some of the dark humor of GRRM and Abercrombie, but aside from those rare occasions, it often doesn't work out.

I will say, that even though the humorous aspect of Lamb isn't working for me, I still like the book enough to carry on. It helps that I'm creeping up on the 3/4 of the way through mark, I think I'll finish no matter what.

 

[Ryan Mueller]

Finished Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. I actually liked this better than the First Law trilogy, probably because it was a standalone and the pacing never lagged (like it sometimes did in the trilogy). I can't say I liked the characters, but they were interesting, and I wanted to know what was going to happen.

 

[Davis Ashura]

Must admit, I was the same. Humour is a very subjective thing, I find. All too often, what I find funny doesn't always translate to other readers, and vice versa.

Just may not be for you, Corp!

M.

I loved Lamb. Even the title brings me a chuckle. It's silly and serious and for me, very touching. But, yeah. It's not going to make everyone laugh, but that's ok. After all, not everyone loved Riddlemaster of Hed (although everyone should )

 

[Ryan Mueller]

Finished Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. I was completely blown away by this book. It was nothing but fun. My favorite steampunk book I've ever read. There was so much action and adventure in it. It's nothing deep, though I think the characters still got some time to shine, but it's just plain fun.