Last five books

[Caly]

Hello everyone--

I'm a newbie here, though that has not stopped me from posting today. I guess you can say I have too much time on my hands. I am a former teacher (last day of teaching was Wed!) who is now just sitting around blobbing all day until I get a visa to go to Sweden.

Enough about me. Now I want to learn more about you to see if me being here is a good fit. I go to lots of fantasy sites, but am always looking for more good ones.

Anyway, this might be a repeat, and I"m sorry if it is. I didn't read through all your old threads.

What are the last five books you've read (both fantasy and non-fantasy) and would you recommend them to others?

My last five:

The Son of Shadow by Juliet Marillier. I highly recommend it, esp for women. I can see how men might get bored with it b/c it is very emotional and has some romantic elements. It's very, very good though. Speaking of which, what percentage of the regulars here are female?

The Mysterious Dissappearnce of Leon (I mean Noel) by Ellen Raskin. I saw this in the store and had to pick it up b/c it reminded me of my childhood. It's a YA mystery/comedy. I only recommend it if you like YA books.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. The first in the Sevenwaters Triology. Very, very sad, but a superb debut by this New Zealand author. Highly recommended, esp to the ladies. I really don't think people who only like Feist, Eddings, RJ, and Brooks would go for this style, but for those wanting to jump into a more. . hmmm. . not poetic exactly, maybe literary is the term? you will love this author. And I realize that sentence didn't make any sense at all. Sorry.


Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Can't say I would recommend it. It has some intersting ideas, but overall it doesn't capture my interest. I only read it b/c it was part of the curriculm I had to teach.

Inversions by Iain M. Banks. Excellent book! It's a stand alone fantasy about the lives of two people, a female doctor and a male body guard, that don't seem to relate at all. They both work in different countries directly serving the kind of their respective country. As the story goes on their relation is revealed, all though it is never made totally clear. It does have some kind of graphic torture scenes, which I don't like, but other than that very, very good.


There you have it. Anyone else game?

Caleyna www.fantasyfreaks.org

 

[Zsinj16]

Welcome,Caly,I'm Zsinj16, and the last five books I've read are:

1. "Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy Part I: The Paradise Snare" by A.C. Crispin - I would certainly recommend this novel to any and all Star Wars fans who want to know the backhistory of smuggler and space pirate Han Solo's life. This book has very dark and sad overtones that make it a very good read.

2. "Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy Part II: The Hutt Gambit" by A.C. Crispin - I would again recommend this novel to any and all Star Wars fans. This novel continues the backhistory of Han Solo's life and explains how he beacame the archenemy and adversary of the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett, and how he became the lifetime partner of Chewbacca. This was a very good read for me also.

3. "The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy Part I: The Dragonbone Chair" by Tad Williams - This novel truly represents epic fantasy at its best. It's a whopping 700+ pages long!! It's about a powerful king that has ruled the kingdom of Osten Ard for countless years, but now lies dying, and an ancient demonic undead ruler of an ancient civilazation that ruled countless centuries before this dying king ever came to Osten Ard, lies in the darkness waiting for the king to breath his last breath so he can pour out his revenge upon the land. Also a young castle scullion named Simon goes about his boring servant life, unaware that he too will play a major role in this grand chain of monumental events. This novel and this trilogy is a must-read for all fantasy fans. Fans of lengendary fantasy authors such as Tolkien, Martin, Brooks, Fiest, Wiess and Hickman, Salvatore, Moorock, Jordan, Douglass, Hobb, and the like will love this gripping fantasy novel and trilogy, I know I did!

4. "The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy Part II: The Stone of Farewell" by Tad Williams -This is the excellent second installment in this epic fantasy trilogy. It also is a whopping 700+ pages long! I loved this novel also, although I didn't think it was as good as the first installment. I would
certainly recommend this novel also.

5. "The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy Part III: To Green Angel Tower" by Tad Williams- This is the third and final installment in this epic fantasy trilogy. In hardback form it's a giant 1,000+ pages long, but in paperback form, it is divided into two parts: Part I: Storm, and Part II: Siege. I have read Part I and have yet to finish Part II, but so far it is a great novel, and I would recommend it also.


[This message has been edited by Zsinj16 (edited June 17, 2001).]

 

[Cadfael]

Welcome to the board Caly, don't worry about fitting in, we take all kinds here

Last five books, okay... I will treat a series of books as one book...

The West Country Mysteries, by Michael Jeck. These are medieaval who-dun-it's. The two main characters are Simon Puttock, Bailiff of Lydford Castle, and Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace. The events take place in Devon, England in the 14th centuary. Well written, as far as I can tell... historically acurate, and very good plot lines. This is my current series, and the books I have read so far are The Last Templar and The Merchant's Partner.

The Tales of Alvin Maker, by Orson Scott Card. A brilliant series, that tells of an alternative history of America in the 17th/18th centuary. People have knack's, which is a kind a magical ability, which mean they excell in certain feilds... i.e. one of the characters can see a persons 'heartfire', and from that can see various futures of people. The books are Seventh Son, Red Prophet, Prentice Alvin, Journeyman Alvin and Heartfire. I recommend any OSC books, especially Enders Game.

The Eternal Champion by Michael Moorcock... what can I say... just mind-blowingly brilliant. I don't really think I can do them justice trying to give the outline. I will let FitzChivlary do that, he knows his 'Moorcock'. But I will say this, all of the series that Moorcock has written are now being released in omnibus editions, the ones I have read are Von Bek, Corum, Elric of Melnibone, Hawkmoon and The Eternal Champion. I recommend them all!!

Merrick by Ann Rice, part of the Vampire Chronicles, this series went a bit lame with Memnoch: The Devil, but the last two books are bringing it back on track.

Runelords by David Farland, very... VERY fast paced action fantasy. The main magic is that a person can take 'endowments' from other people, i.e. and endowment of sight will improve the takers eyesight, but leave the giver blind. The thing is... some people give endowments willingly for rewards. Another strange thing about the books is that the event take place in about a week across the three books that have been published so far, and those books are The Sum of All Men, Brotherhood of the Wolf and Wizardborn.

Right... thats me done <phew>

 

[Caly]

I've read Heartfire and Enchantment by OSC. I have been looking for the others in the Alvin Maker series, but am very unsuccessul in the itty bitty town I live in. I used to order a ton of books online, but I am not using credit cards anymore b/c they lead to nothing but trouble, so I have no idea when I will be able to get my hands on those books. I reallly liked Enchantment by him as well. Everyone says I should read Ender's Game, but I just can't bring myself to buy a book with a spaceship on the cover. I have tried, I really have. I just have a weird mental block.

Caleyna

 

[Arty]

Hmmmm.... my last 5 books? Let's see here....

Sea of Sorrows by Michelle West...(The Sun Sword : Book 4) Not as good as the last books. I found it to be very confusing. The author assumed you knew what she was talking about in alot of places and I kept getting lost. But I still enjoyed it.

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb...(The Farseer Book 1) The folks here on this board got me into Robin Hobb. I read the other series first (The Liveship Traders) and loved it. Some here say the farseer is better. Well I really liked both so far! Im buying the next one tomorrow. Its amazing how dis-similiar the 2 series are, I think I expected them to be alike because they are set in the same world...not so. Im excited.

The Dragon Prince Trilogy by Melanie Rawn. I will not count this because it was a re-reading of an old favorite.

Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters. (An Amelia Peabody mystery) Amelia is an Egyptologist at the turn of the century who defies convention by being an independant and self sufficient woman in a world of men. Along the way she happens into a myriad of adventures. I love these stories.

The Summoning God by Kathleen ONeal Gear...(The Anasazi Mysteries). This book skips back and forth from the present to the time of the Anasazi as modern day archaeologists work to unravel a mystery as we see it happen in the past. A good read! You will never ever guess the end!!

Was that 5?

Caly....have you ever read The Crow Road by Iain Banks? I saw the BBC miniseries of it and loved it.
As for Daughter of the Forest...Im eager to read it, Im just waiting for the paperback to come out. Do you read alot of fantasy? Need/have any recommendations? I have a feeling we have similiar taste...theres someone else here with like tastes to mine...LadyFox, are you out there?

Dennizm...did you tell me about those Michael Jeck books before? Im definately looking into them tomorrow. Did you actually like Runelords? I didnt care for it. How can I put this....alot of people who read fantasy(mostly men)like a completely different sort of story. They like their characters to go here and there and do all this great stuff. I care more about what happens in between and how they got there ( you know, the inter personal junk). And I like it written with great style. As you can tell Im a fan of "fat" fantasy. I found the Runelords to be a little too superficial (although it was much better than some) I never had any desire to complete the series. I had the same problems with Rhapsody and with Sailing to Sarantium. I hoped I explained that OK. ?

 

[Arty]

Hey when did I go from Junior member to member?? Cool!

 

[Caly]

Nope, I've only read the Inversions book by Iain Banks. I picked it up totally randomly while I was grocery shopping. It is pretty sad when my grocery store has a better selection of fantasy novels than the local book store. Such is life in a small town I guess.

I have a done of books that I need to read, but I am always open to suggestions. In fact, that one Egyption book you mentioned sounds right up my alley.

Recommendations from me--Definetly Daughter of the Forest. Mine is a trade paperback. More expensive than the mass market paperback but cheaper than the hardbacks.

I'd also highly recommend Jan Seigal's Prospero's Children and Dragon Charmer.

Empire by Feist and Wurts is my fave series, along with Liveship Traders, but I see you have all ready read it. When you get done with Farseer you will have to tell me what you think of Amber, ok? Coldfire by C. S. Friedman is another fave of mine, even though it is so totally opposite of what I normally look for in a book. It's very dark and totally plot driven instead of character driven. It has such an amazing conclusion, though, that none of that matters. I think it has the most perfect ending of any book I've ever read.

If you like stories that are fairytale-esqe I'd recommend Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Deerskin by Robin McKinely (it is YA, but it is not for children imo). . .

My brain is going into book overload, so I may have to post more later. All my books are packed up and in storage b/c I am moving shortly, otherwise I know there would be a much bigger list.

Caleyna

 

[Cadfael]

Arty... you must have your eyes shut, when you make your 30th post, you become a member... as it must say in at least half a dozen topics

Only j/k

... welcome to full status!

I recommended Paul Doherty to you. Gratch recommended Michael Jecks to me, and I am very glad he did

Which reminds me... I have also read Paul Doherty's Corps Candle in my last 5 books... Ellis Peters is back!!

[This message has been edited by dennizm (edited June 18, 2001).]

 

[Caly]

Oh! One more that I totally forgot! Lady in Gil by Rebecca Bradely. Loved it. Very funny, even though it has some pretty gross stuff, like people eating maggots and rats.

 

[Lord Raziel]

Well lets see my last five books were

The Jackal of Nar By John Marco
Not as good as I had expected, not enough action , and it was mostly a one person point of view.

A Cavern of Black Ice By JV. Jones
A recomended read, probably one of the best I have read, I can't wait for the second book.


The Art of War By Machiavelli
I read this one for other reasons ,


Wizardborn by David Farland
I thought this was a decent read, very fast paced, but left things lacking, have to wait for the next book to see if I can continue.


and a non fantasy novel by Tom Clancy - Without Remorse
Even though I really only read fantasy , a friend had it laying a round and i thought i would try it, was a decent read, takes place in the 70's i believe


Lord Raziel

 

[Bardos]

How can I put this....alot of people who read fantasy(mostly men)like a completely different sort of story. They like their characters to go here and there and do all this great stuff. I care more about what happens in between and how they got there ( you know, the inter personal junk). And I like it written with great style.

Most interesting subject! What do you like most? What happens in the story, or the in between (the "personal junk")? What's the right analogy for you?

I have to say I like enought "personal junk" to understand why the characters do what they do. If there is not enought in-between, then their actions don't seem realistic to me. But, also, if there is too much, then it just slows the story and bores you. It's a matter of balance...

And, now, as not to get off top (like I haven't!

) the 5 last books I read where: The Runelord: The Sum of All Men; SoI&F bk2; The Serpent War books 1,2,3.
I think this are the last 5...

Btw, I didn't like the first book of the Runelords so much. Hope the second is better, since I've bought all three.

The night is dark, and full of terrors.

I just like that saying!

 

[Cannon Fodder]

My last five-

Royal Assasin- The second instalment of the farseer trilogy. Good stuff, with plenty of twists and turns and a great ending.

Assasin's Quest- The third instalment. Perhaps a little ploding but still a worthy read.

The Legacy of the Darksword- I wouldn't bother trying his, even if you were a fan of the original trilogy. A mediocre and pointless follow up.

The Thief of Time- Terry Pratchett's latest. Not the best Discworld book, but even the worst Discworld books are pretty damn good.

Misery- Pretty good. A solid read from Stephen King.

 

[EE]

Last 5 books where 1 is the book I'm reading now.

1) A Cavern of black ice, J V Jones. Just started it, seems to be a good story...

2) Bag of Bones, Stephen King. Pretty average horror story.

3) Fear Nothing, Dean R Koontz. Pretty average horror story as well, evil government genetic experiments and such.

4) A Storm of Swords, G R R Martin. Part 3 in the ASoIaF series, does it really get better than this?

5) A Clash of Kings, G R R Martin. Part 2 in the ASoIaF.

I would gladly recommend any of the books mentioned above, the King and Koontz books are pretty average, but a good entertainig read.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Caly, seeing your recommendations i got the impression that you like your fantasy with a female main character and leaning towards feminism, am i correct?

Accidently among the last good 5 books i read there were 3 with female heroes.

Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton - the 8th (or was it 9th) book about Anita Blake the vampire hunter, not the best in the series, but a very good read anyway, with the right amount of detectives, romance and vulgar sex and violence to keep you reading.

The Wild Machines & Lost Burgundy by Mary Gentle - books 3 and 4 of The Book of Ash, pretty good alternative history series about a female mercenary in the 15th century, follows both her story and the story of the 20th century scientists who try to understand what happened then.. intersting stuff.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - Brilliant book, the first Gaiman i read and it made me a devoted Gaiman fan on the spot. It's about Richard who is a nice scottish guy that comes to London and discovered a whole new world on London's roofs and in its underground tunnels.

Armor by John Steakley - This book is sci fi, but it was a great read anyway, the main character Felix is one of my favorite sci fi characters of all time. It's military sci fi kinda like Starship Troopers, and it makes you feel what soldiers actually feel in the modern and post-modern battlefield, not the glory of war and the will to fight for your country, but the horror and panic.

I also read some bad books in between... but that i suppose should be in "what is the last 5 bad books you read" thread.

[This message has been edited by FitzChivlary (edited June 18, 2001).]

 

[Rob B]

Last 5...
Creiton's Sword by Steven Baird. Just finished it this weekend. My official review for the book should be up soon. I enjoyed the book, first book from a new author. check out iuniverse.com for his book.

**Confluence omnibus by Paul J. McAuley Good Science Fiction

**The River into Darkness duology by Sean Russel. A bit like GG Kay, fantasy about the last mage in the world. After reading this, I plan on reading more of his works.

**Annals of the Black Company (books 1-3, omnibus) by Glen Cook, good but I was a bit disappointed after seeing such high praise for it

**The Compleat Dying Earth by Jack Vance. Good classic Fantasy. Vance is a master of language.

Caly--we have just about the same thread going for all of our current/recent reads, it is our largest ongoing thread:Whatca ya all reading?.

 

[azaz]

Caly, I've ordered Daughter of the Forest and Son of Shadows, I should receive it sometime this week with the rest of the books I ordered. I'll have about 30 books to read this summer know that my exams are finally over.

Wizardborn ny David Farland. Just started.
Cavern of Black Ice by J V Jones, highly recommended. Vol 1 in 'Sword of Shadows' trilogy.
The One Kingdom by Sean Russell, which is a quite exciting new trilogy.
Child of Flame by Kate Elliot, a very good series so far, highly recommended. this is Vol 4 in the 'Crown of Stars' series.
Burning Stones by Kate Elliott, this is Vol 3 in the 'Crown of Stars' series.

 

[Caly]

FitzChivalry--

Yes, I very much like female leads and am very close to be a feminist, even though I hope that if I ever have a baby I will have the finacial stability to stay home while it is young and raise it. Not a very feminst action. Was that more than you wanted to know, though? Oh, and I pretty much can't stand Sheri S. Tepper, the premier feminist sci-fi/fantasy writer, or so I'm told. I need a book that is not preachy, and hers are over the top preachy (I've only read four).

As for Neverwhere--Great read! I had to buy it twice b/c I lost it in the movie theater after I had only read the first two chapters. That was depressing, and then it took me forever to find a replacement copy.

FitzFlagg--Sorry I started a new topic without reading all the old ones. I have read many of them now and am starting to understand how things are done around here. I have never actually been a part of a message board arranged in this manner so it is going to take some getting used to. These super long threads sort of intimidate me.

Bardos--I like action, but I much prefer the personal interaction. If a book doesn't have a lot of personal interaction and character development it is not for me. I do like inventive plots, and unpredictible happenings, but characters are most important for me. It is strange that I like Coldfire by C. S. Friedman as much as I do since it is very much plot driven with not a lot of character development. Gerald Tarrant is fascinating though.

Caleyna

 

[Rob B]

The longer threads can be a bit intimidating.

The larger threads give a nice flavor of who posts and their thoughts and reading likes/dislikes.

Welcome.

Oh yeah, EVERYBODY asks so... you become a member after 30 posts.

 

[Caly]

Yeah, I've been seeing that 30 post thing in a lot of the different threads I've been reading, including this one.

Btw, since you are a moderator and all. . . I registered for this board a long time ago under the name Caleyna but can't remember my password and that little thing that you can click on that says "Forget your password?" doesn't work. Any chance you might be able to tell me my password or clear out the name?

Caleyna

 

[FitzChivalry]

btw, Caly, i also noticed you watch Felicity (Noel/Leon comment) heh.

About the feminism part, i think the feminst thing is that a woman is able to choose if she wants to stay in the house or not, not necessarily not being in the house.

FitzFlag, maybe it's time to start a new "what are you reading?" thread. nobody reads the first 100 or so posts now anyway.