Reading in July 2012

And, sort've connected, our interview with Steven about the book has just gone online, HERE.

Mark
 
Danogzilla said:
Started Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin. I was very impressed with The Assassin's Apprentice and so far this book is a consistent follow-up.
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Love Royal Assassin. It's one of my all time favorites.

I'm about halfway through Douglas Hulick's Among Thieves and am enjoying it thoroughly.
 
Just finished book 2 of the Rain Wild series, Dragon Haven. I know some people find these books slow and complain about a lack of action, but I love how Hobb can make all her characters come alive and most of all I love the unique atmosphere she creates in her books, like the intriguing surroundings and history of the Rain Wilds...It is the same reason why I love Tad Williams his books so much...
Other books I finished these last months are The Crowfield Curse (good YA, likeable lead-character), Daughter of Smoke and Bone (started out good, leaned a bit too much to the romantic side towards the end, although the end was ok), Retribution Falls (loved it, good-old fashioned adventure-stuff), Horns (not really my kind of genre normally, but a very moving story well told) and The Spirit Lens/ Soul Mirror (enjoyed those very much, good story, good characterization). Will start Rats and the Ruling Sea next, since that series will conclude soon with the forthcoming Night of the Swarm.
 
Finished Chuck Wendig's Blackbirds this morning. The grittiness, cursing and violence reminded me of a Tarantino film. As such, expect a certain amount of over-the-topness with the villains and violence. Miriam – the lead character – is not a diamond in the rough. She’s just plain rough, but I enjoyed the dark humor and brutal honesty of her voice. Miriam is a hardened survivor, which may be her greatest appeal. Several scenes in the book had me laughing out loud. I had a few quibbles with certain aspects of the plot and character development, but this is the kind of book that really showcases the lead character, so I’m not too fussed about my quibbles. I also think the issue of how one thwarts or cheats fate is a prickly problem to resolve in a book like this. The author’s note at the end reveals that there is a follow-up coming out soon (in just another month or so), and he intends to write more books about Miriam’s grim adventures.
 
I finished Spirits War, the fourth Eli Monpress novel by Rachel Aaron yesterday. Quite enjoyable, though it ends on something of a WTF cliffhanger.

This morning, I started Blackwood Gwenda Bond's debut novel, and I think a launch title for new Angry Robot YA imprint STRANGE CHEMISTRY. Only a bit into it, but I've already found myself very drawn to the protagonist.
 
Finished Whispers Underground, the third London adventure of Peter Grant: policeman, apprentice wizard and sarcastic jokester. I really like this Ben Aaronovich magical murder mysteries tour. The last one is more concerned with police procedural work (interviewing witnesses, stakeouts, following leads, gathering evidence) than throwing fireballs on the rooftops. It looks like I'll be in for the long run. I don't know how many books are planned in the series, but learning magic seems a very slow process and London a rick hunting ground for supernatural creatures. Enough material for catching up to Harry Dresden in number of issues.
 
I just finished God's War. Cool book, really liked it, I'll have to get to the next, Infidel soon. Thinking about going scifi with Gibson's Stealing Light next.
The ending had almost a flipflopped opposite from the last book I read, dont wanna say it'd be spoilerish.
 
I just finished a stroll down memory lane with The Deed of Paksenarrion which I last read over 20 years ago. It was just as enjoyable a read the second time around. A big reason I wanted to read it was so I could be up-to-date before I started Elizabeth Moon's Paladin's Legacy series.
 
Finished Mark Lawrence's King of Thorns for a Fortean Times review. Now to compress my thoughts to 275 words, without looking at Rob's review!

And one that was a complete surprise to me: Christopher Fowler's Full Dark House, a series that I had dismissed as a detective series (which it is), but hadn't realised there's a genre connection. Absolutely brilliant so far, IMO better than Ben Aaronovitch's recent series, and as good as (in much less space!) Connie Willis' recent Blackout/All Clear.

But published in 2003! Really has been a surprise: if it stays as good as this, I'll be very, very happy.

Mark
 
algernoninc said:
It looks like I'll be in for the long run. I don't know how many books are planned in the series, but learning magic seems a very slow process and London a rick hunting ground for supernatural creatures.
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Aaronovitch recently said on his blog he'd keep writing them until he could afford a yacht suitable for a James Bond villain, so you have a few good reads ahead.
 
At a book talk last month, Ben said there's at least three more (2 already written?) and he was already planning Book 7.

Mark
 
Loerwyn said:
I picked Terry Brooks' The Tangle Box (the fourth Landover book) from my shelf last night and despite a few false starts over the past... however long I've had it, I'm about halfway already and enjoying it, though I do wish he'd leave our world alone.
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Finished it on the bus home today. It's not bad, certainly, but I don't think it manages anything other than "fairly good".

Well, two more Landover books to go and then I've finished the series. Will take a break between each, I think.
 
Just finished Tom King's A Once Crowded Sky. Hard to say what I thought about it. I enjoyed it, yeah, but it was a pretty confusing piece of work.
 
Read Amped by Daniel Wilson - Gripping story! Couldn't put it down, and I finished in a day.

75% completed The Heir of Novron by Michael Sullivan - Would have finished this book already, but I went camping and couldn't bring my iPad :( ...

...so I started Stonweilder by Ian C. Esslemont, and am about 25% through.
 
Just finished Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards. Really liked it, but it ended rather abruptly. I know it's a planned series, but I think the ending could have been a little cleaner. It felt like the author had just cropped his story off when it was long enough.
 
Finished Thief's Covenant by Ari Martell. Didn't like it. It's readable, but not captivating - world is bland, characters are one-dimensional (or zero-dimensional), plot is simplistic. I liked his The Conqueror's Shadow well enough, sequel was miss for me, now seems I'm giving up on that author.l
 
s271 said:
Finished Thief's Covenant by Ari Martell. Didn't like it. It's readable, but not captivating - world is bland, characters are one-dimensional (or zero-dimensional), plot is simplistic. I liked his The Conqueror's Shadow well enough, sequel was miss for me, now seems I'm giving up on that author.l
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Nuh uh, you've got to read The Goblin Corps before you give up.
 
Finished my re-read of The Fires of Heaven. Really enjoyed it, one of the more action packed Wheel of Time books. Not sure where I'm going to go from here. Maybe Jemisin's new duology.
 
Read Amped by Daniel Wilson - Gripping story! Couldn't put it down, and I finished in a day.
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Really must try that one again, Jop. Read Robopocalypse and thought it was OK, but not great, and Amped I began to read not long afterwards. Seemed to be more of the same, and other books took priority.

As I said, must try it again...

Mark
 
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