Reading in January 2012

[algernoninc]

I finished the oriental flavored Braided Path by Chris Wooding, a battle intensive, spectacular finish in The Ascendacy Veil. I will continue this year to explore Chris Wooding works - next in line Black Lung Captain.

Also finished All Men of Genius by Lev Rosen - a fun clockwork punk set in Victorian England with twins and mistaken identities , scientific experiments, drunken revels and mysterious underground passages.

Now I'm into some historical novels : Sharpe's Havoc by Bernard Cornwell and The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson. The viking saga set around the year 1000 looks like my first 5 star book of the year. I was expecting some gloomy and bloody mayhem, but this is a tongue in cheek, ironic and fast paced romp, with occasional beheadings and pillaging.

For fantasy I started The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce, another author that I would read anything from.

 

[DDCOrange]

I finished the oriental flavored Braided Path by Chris Wooding, a battle intensive, spectacular finish in The Ascendacy Veil. I will continue this year to explore Chris Wooding works - next in line Black Lung Captain.

Also finished All Men of Genius by Lev Rosen - a fun clockwork punk set in Victorian England with twins and mistaken identities , scientific experiments, drunken revels and mysterious underground passages.

Now I'm into some historical novels : Sharpe's Havoc by Bernard Cornwell and The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson. The viking saga set around the year 1000 looks like my first 5 star book of the year. I was expecting some gloomy and bloody mayhem, but this is a tongue in cheek, ironic and fast paced romp, with occasional beheadings and pillaging.

For fantasy I started The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce, another author that I would read anything from.

Aha! A fellow Sharpe's reader! I knew there was another one somewhere!

 

[Erfael]

I finished the oriental flavored Braided Path by Chris Wooding, a ***battle intensive***, spectacular finish in The Ascendacy Veil.

Hmm. This gives me some concern. Book 1 got slightly skimmed by the end because of the battling/sneaking into the keep bits which didn't much interest me. I like the story being told and the concept a lot, but the "action" bits (as is the case with me sometimes) were eye-glazers. How battle intensive does the series get?

 

[Rob B]

Someone such as myself? I have to know, can you please explain?

Someone who has done a lot of reading and thinking about books. Not just some casual reader.

Someone such as myself? I have to know, can you please explain?

A dog-owning, beer-drinking, New Jersey Devils fan. They're the only people I take my book recommendations from.

Clearly, you are both highly-intelligent people whose opinions are of the highest order with the most implicit trust.

 

[Spears&Buckler]

I'm reading Matthew Woodring Stover's Blade of Tyshalle for the third time. It never ceases to amaze me how unbelievably awesome this book is even though it's so different from Heroes Die, the previous book. Simply magnificent.

 

[Contrarius]

Clearly, you are both highly-intelligent people whose opinions are of the highest order with the most implicit trust.

Hey, and I even tried Yuengling's Black and Tan porter for the first time last night. I will dedicate the rest of the six pack to your beeriness.

 

[Rob B]

Hey, and I even tried Yuengling's Black and Tan porter for the first time last night. I will dedicate the rest of the six pack to your beeriness.

For bottled Black & Tan, it is pretty damned good. I really like their Porter.

I'm still plowing through - and loving - Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan.

 

[algernoninc]

Hmm. This gives me some concern. Book 1 got slightly skimmed by the end because of the battling/sneaking into the keep bits which didn't much interest me. I like the story being told and the concept a lot, but the "action" bits (as is the case with me sometimes) were eye-glazers. How battle intensive does the series get?

book one was quite calm compared with the second and especially the third. Characterization is suffering a little by the end, the adversaries get stronger and the odds for victory seem impossible. Not quite as ridiculous as in Codex Alera or as gloomy as in Brian Ruckley's Godless World, but somewhere in that area.
The main appeal of the story for me was in the magical system, some good plot twists and Wooding talent as a storyteller.

 

[PeterWilliam]

The omnibus edition of The Braided Path dwells fitfully and satisfied within the Omnibus Hall of Fame. It was most excellent.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I'm still plowing through - and loving - Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan.

And I'm loving hearing that.

In other news I started Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I'm about 1/2 thru the first book in Rise of Empire by Michael Sullivan. It reminds me how much I still enjoy (and prefer) what I call old-school fantasy.

I had started my WoT read to get ready for AMoL later this year. But with the Riyria Revelations being complete later this month, I thought I would knock out that series before really hitting WoT. I expect, with my slow reading pace and the high page count, the WoT books will be a high percentage of my reading this year.

Sweet! Thanks for squeezing my series in - yeah I would suspect that WoT from start to end would be quite the undertaking.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

Currently reading Den of Thieves by David Chandler, who I will admit I've never heard of. In all honestly I only picked the book up in the first place because the cover is the same cool "parchment-with-stuff-on-it" design as the nicer Abercrombie editions but... it's really good!

I'm very interested in your opinions on this. I'm not sure where/how it came across my radar but I'm considering it as well.

 

[Kazz Wylde]

I have a big library fine cause of that Michael Sullivan dude. It was the Crown Conspiracy, and they borrowed it from another library...so the fines were worse.....had to get the book finished though, good job Sullivan, this was a few months back, still need to read the rest of the series.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I have a big library fine cause of that Michael Sullivan dude. It was the Crown Conspiracy, and they borrowed it from another library...so the fines were worse.....had to get the book finished though, good job Sullivan, this was a few months back, still need to read the rest of the series.

Sorry about the fine...but Wow. I'm impressed that it was in your library - as the book was put out by two small publishers and libraries usually don't carry them. Out of curiosity - was the publisher on the book you borowed "Aspirations Media Inc" or "Ridan Publishing?"

Hope the other books don't result in similar fees - but should be easier to find in the library systems due to publication through Orbit.

 

[Kazz Wylde]

Sorry about the fine...but Wow. I'm impressed that it was in your library - as the book was put out by two small publishers and libraries usually don't carry them. Out of curiosity - was the publisher on the book you borowed "Aspirations Media Inc" or "Ridan Publishing?"

Hope the other books don't result in similar fees - but should be easier to find in the library systems due to publication through Orbit.

I was just messin with ya, Mr Sullivan. Not sure who the publisher was though. The deal with that library is they borrowed it from a library out in Amarillo or Waco or something, I forget, but the fines are higher....I havent payed them yet. lol Its no big deal, I just had to mess with you. lol
Keep up the good work, man.

 

[suciul]

I finished Percepliquis by M. Sullivan the last Ryria novel and I liked it but not as much as Emerald storm and Wintertide especially which is still a huge favorite.

Percepliquis is "true traditional fantasy' (ancient evil, heroes that gotta save the world etc) and me and that are moving a bit on separate ways so this book came a year too late in many ways. The other main issue I had is that the novel truly wraps up everything and life is messier than that. I prefer more open ended finales and this one is just the quintessential "everything covered".

The other recent series finale of early January "Daemon Prism" by C. Berg was somewhat similar (ancient evil etc while earlier volumes were more intrigue and adventure) but the ending was just awesome, a true beginning in many ways that leaves a lot to our imagination, while the ending here of the Ryria series just spells everything out

I expect a heavy dose of sf/mainstream reading next but i will get to The Ruined City by Paula Brandon (Volsky) soon too

 

[Lurker8]

My library has the new editions of your books, Sullivan. I didn't quite get hooked by the first book (which I bought some time ago) but just saw the second at the library and thought I'd give your series another try.

 

[Eventine]

I've had a little more time than usual to read lately, so have just knocked off Initiate's Trial by Janny Wurts, Side Jobs by Jim Butcher and half of The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb.
I've probably been following the Wurts series for about 15 years now, and sometimes I despair of it ever ending, although I do understand the series is set to end in two books. As usual, it took me a while to get into the rhythm of her prose, but once I did I could focus on the plot, which seemed to be pretty similar to that of the umpteen previous books. Lots of fleeing, lots of evasion thanks to the disgustingly over-talented main character and and yet I still find it oddly captivating. Perhaps it's an active tie to teenage nostalgia, perhaps despite the repetition and the uber-mensch main character there's something to these books. Does anyone else still read (and enjoy) Wurts?

Side Jobs was a bit of a let down as I mentioned in the Dresden Files thread.

As for The Dragon Keeper, well, maybe I bit of more than I could chew reading three fantasy books in a row. I remember the previous books in this series as having more captivating characters, and, to put it bluntly, being more interesting. As it stands, some (most) of the secondary characters seem flat and the main ones aren't all that more engaging. I'll persist with it, but would need a big improvement to make me want to read the next one straight after, which is sad because I lost a lot of sleep reading the previous books and look back on them fondly.

Nostalgia seems to be providing me with more value than the contents of the books these days.

 

[s271]

Currently reading Den of Thieves by David Chandler, who I will admit I've never heard of. In all honestly I only picked the book up in the first place because the cover is the same cool "parchment-with-stuff-on-it" design as the nicer Abercrombie editions but... it's really good!

I have header some recommendation on it and tried. Read about 1/3 but generally didn't like it. It get some of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser feel to it, but character development was bland, worldbuilding sketchy and plot wasn't quite gripping. Abercrombie it is not.

 

[Chrysippus]

Currently reading An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe. I've been having a hard time getting into it, although I was pretty tired when I started reading last night. Hopefully it picks up.