Reading in July 2012

I'm about halfway through Bitter Seeds, by Ian Tregillis. Basically it's an alternate World War 2 setting where the Germans create super soldiers, and the British are warlocks, who can conjure up demon-like beings for their defense. Pretty good stuff, and I'll likely be picking up the second book right after I'm done, unless the second half of the book gets much, much worse.
 
I've read in one sitting a very nice urban fantasy by R A MacAvoy: Tea with the Black Dragon. The story would have worked well even without the supernatural elements as a noir crime novel (I'm thinking James Hadley Chase) , but I liked the additional themes introduced by superpowers and romantical involvement between a human and an immortal. I gave this [7/10] because the good ideas were not supported by a similar impressive prose. This was not in the same class as Patricia McKillip or Peter S Beagle, and a bit on the short side.
 
I went through G. Willow Wilson's Alif the Unseen this weekend. It's a fiction debut by a friend, but I'd love even if I didn't know her - it's a lovely piece of magical realism mixing Middle Eastern mythologies with 21st century hackers and a dash of Arab Spring. She cites Neil Gaiman as an influence, and there's definitely a taste of American Gods in there. It's also an interesting look into contemporary life in the Middle East, by which I mean not the parts that reach us on television news. Good stuff...

Also working on a few scifi titles, but I suppose that's for a different thread.
 
algernoninc said:
I've read in one sitting a very nice urban fantasy by R A MacAvoy: Tea with the Black Dragon. The story would have worked well even without the supernatural elements as a noir crime novel (I'm thinking James Hadley Chase) , but I liked the additional themes introduced by superpowers and romantical involvement between a human and an immortal. I gave this [7/10] because the good ideas were not supported by a similar impressive prose. This was not in the same class as Patricia McKillip or Peter S Beagle, and a bit on the short side.
Click to expand...

That was a nice little book and, besides, I feel very nostalgic about 80s tech. I think there's a sequel and another in the works but I've never read those.
 
I was thinking of trying The Book of Kells by MacAvoy next. The synopsis is interesting.
 
Just finished The Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell. It's masterful, a neat tribute to the power of silent movie comedies underpinned by Campbell's appreciation of the weird, outre and the Lovecraftian. I was a bit worried, coming off the full-frontal assault of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian that maybe I was doing Ramsey a disservice by going almost directly into his novel, but no, it holds up just fine.

Next: Dipped into Shadow Show: All-new Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury, though I doubt I'll read it cover to cover just now. The first story, Neil Gaiman's "The Man Who Forgot Bradbury," is good and does have a Bradbury tang to it. Just started Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard.

Randy M.
 
Well, I tried to make it through the rest of Curt Benjamin's "Seven Brothers Trilogy," but just couldn't do it. I made it through the second book, "Prince of Dreams," and 1/5 into the final volume "The Gates o, I Heaven," but I just couldn't take it any more. The first book, "The Prince of Shadow" was good and had potential for a really good Asian-flavoured fantasy trilogy, but between the excruciatingly painful slogging pace of the second book and the hard-to-pin-down-annoyingness (at least for me) of the characters, Benjamin lost me.
However, in happier news I started reading the first book in C.S. Lewis' "Space Trilogy," "Out of the Silent Planet," and I simply can't put it down. I just started it this morning and I'm already halfway through. The planet that the character is transported to is just so utterly alien and otherworldly, and I love the atmosphere. It honestly reminds me of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars" in a way.
 
Finished This Dark Earth by John Hornor Jacobs (author of Southern Gods) and I gotta say this was one impressive zombie book. There are so many of them out there at the moment, but I really enjoyed this one and had a hard time putting it down. It definitely pushed the limits of my gross-out and sex meters, but it was so compelling I had to keep going.
 
My reading output is at about an all-time high at the moment. I`m reading almost a book a week, which is pretty well unheard of for me.

Finished Mr Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett. RJB`s brand of metaphorical mythology (the well-known genre I believe Mr. Bennett falls into) is so well done. Mr. Shivers loses points because I could see the ending coming even though I am terrible at seeing the ending coming, but his imagery and portrait of death and revenge is so spot on that I really can`t complain much.

Most of the way through The King`s Blood. I believe The Dagger and the Coin should move up to number 1 in the list of recommendations one should make if someone asks for something similar to aSoIaF. The odd and fascinating thing about these books is the person I believe to be the "hero" of this story spends most of the time off screen. It`s like if you told the entire story of Harry Potter from the point of view of Snape, McGonagall, Narcissa Malfoy and Neville Longbottom. Or WoT entirely using the PoVs of Cadsuane, Elaida, Darlin Sisnera and Thom Merrilin.

Of course, it`s a fantastic book. Not that I should need to tell you that with pretty well every review on the internet saying the same thing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I started Rachel Aaron's The Spirit War today, the fifth installment of her Eli Monpress series. I guess you'd call these comfort reads for me, quick entertaining reads with fun characters.
 
About 150 pgs into Warbreaker by Sanderson. I am enjoying the story and charachters but find the Biochromatic breath magic thing a little bizarre! Not quite as tight a thing as in Mistborn.

Sanderson's writing draws me in - this is the second book of his I have read in the past month. It is quick paced, not too introspective and very engaging. I am becoming a fan. Very much want to return for book 2 in the Mistborn series.
 
Finally got around to reading Game of Thrones and loved it - the hype is warranted!

The characterisation was fantastic and I liked it how he told the point of view from a number of characters, especially those from opposing families. Favourite character for me would be Tyrion Lannister, probably helped by his dark humour, but also honest Ned.

The ending with Daenerys left things on a cliffhanger as well, which I liked.

Now only 4 (well 6?) more books to go and a TV series!
 
I just finished re-reading The Dresden Files Books 4-12, as well as several short stories from that series. I'm going to try to finish some of the Anthologies that I've only partly read, such as Songs of Love & Death, Hexed, Hex Appeal and Dark & Stormy Nights.
 
I just finished Pet Sematary. I only read horror once in a while and after finishing this I know why. It can be a big investment of emotional energy to get through a Stephen King book! Whilst not actually that scary, it was disturbing enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and I literally could not put it down, especially during the second half. I particularly loved the scenes where Louis was walking over the 'deadfall' and along the old Micmac path... Like I said though, I won't read another like this for 6 months at least :D

Overall, for me not as good as The Stand but better than 'salem's Lot, and extremely well written as usual with King.

**** out of 5 stars
 
Finished Guy Gavriel Kay's Sailing to Sarantium last night. He's the best there is. The long prologue didn't grip me, but once we got going with Crispin's journey, and especially once we got to the Post Inn in Sauradia I was as awed by the book as I have been with any of his others. He's a master. I really can't think of a single writer, in any genre (including literary) who is in his class.
 
Started Thinner by Stephen King (well, as Richard Bachman) last night. Not sure how King managed to maintain that personality beyond one book as King's style is, well, pretty damned obvious.
 
I loved Thinner - I don't remember it being different than other King books, it being a bachman and all. But it has been a while since I read King, other than Dark Tower. I enjoyed all the Bachman books - hey I was just a King fanboy whatever he was writing at that point.
 
Daddy Darth said:
I loved Thinner - I don't remember it being different than other King books, it being a bachman and all. But it has been a while since I read King, other than Dark Tower. I enjoyed all the Bachman books - hey I was just a King fanboy whatever he was writing at that point.
Click to expand...
That's kind of the thing, it's not different, which makes me wonder how the charade lasted at all.

Thinner is a very, very odd book. I'm about 80-90 pages into it and I'm enjoying it, but it's odd.
 
Ropie said:
I just finished Pet Sematary. ...Whilst not actually that scary, ....[/B]
Click to expand...

That book gave me nightmares for two weeks.

But then I was only 14 when I read it.... :-p

I should read it again. I remember liking the movie but being disappointed that it wasn't as cool as the book. (I know, such is often the case)
 
Danogzilla said:
Finished Guy Gavriel Kay's Sailing to Sarantium last night. He's the best there is. The long prologue didn't grip me, but once we got going with Crispin's journey, and especially once we got to the Post Inn in Sauradia I was as awed by the book as I have been with any of his others. He's a master. I really can't think of a single writer, in any genre (including literary) who is in his class.
Click to expand...

Loved that book (even the prologue!). It was my first GGK (and Lord of Emperors did not disappoint); I'm looking forward to reading Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Sponsors


We try to keep the forum as free of ads as possible, please consider supporting SFFWorld on Patreon


Your ad here.
Back
Top