Reading in October 2009

[tyriseus]

Finished the Color of Magic over the weekend and have decided to move on with Hobb's story. I'm currently on Mad Ship and have loved the first four so far (my wife got me to try her about a year ago and I'm glad she did.)

 

[kcf]

I finished up Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld - this one is pretty good. Probably the most enjoyable steampunk I've ever read (and yes, it's YA).

Back to Fast Ships Black Sails edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer while I wait for TGS.

 

[Rob B]

I finished up a classic of Children's Literature yesterday - The Phantom Tollboth. A superb fantasy and a wonderful play on words.

I've been dipping my toes into the latest themed anthology by Dann/Dozois - The Dragon Book. One story (Cecilia Holland's) finished so far and good.

 

[Deleted member 16510]

After getting sidetracked for a while this month, I finally had a chance to finish off Greg Keyes' The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. I really wish he had of extended the ending. It could have really used an extra volume to really finish the series off in style. Still a great series.

Totally agree with you there, the last book seemed to wrap things up far too quickly.

Have recently finished Unseen Academicals by Pratchett - loved it, Zoe's Tale by Scalzi - double loved it, and Chelsea Cain's Sweatheart - ending was stupid.

Have started Peter F Hamilton's A Second Chance At Eden to give him a first chance of enticing me into his style.

 

[algernoninc]

Finished "Mistress of the Empire" by Janny Wurts and Raymond Feist [ i double checked to get the name right this time] . I liked it a lot and I think it is a solid addition to any fantasy shelf, but i wouldn't give it the full 5 star endorsement, for several personal grumbles:
- it felt really padded by the third volume with a lot of recounting previous events and endless introspection by the main characters. I felt like the author missed on the "show, dont tell" seminary and tried to explain every nuance and motivation behind the actions.
- the black ad white , good versus bad is a tad to clear cut with the heroes being heroic and the adversaries being sneaky and obnoxious. it made for a rather predictable plot.
- the magic system is nothing t owrite home about: people are born with hidden talents that manifest later in life, they go to magic school and then they snap their fingers and the magic does everything they want, with lifgt and sound effects applenty.
- I prefer the poetry of Sean Russell or Liam Hearn working the same oriental setting to the functional and sometimes over melodramatic text here.

So, a good epic series with complex plot, plenty of politics and likable characters that will appeal mostly to classic fantasy fans. I hesitate to pick up more books in the Midkernia setting, as I understand this is rated one of the best and there are such a lot of them.

I'm also about a third into Shardik by Richard Adams, and I realize I have forgotten almost everything bu tthe general plot and the setting in the 20 years since i last read it. I like the way it develops the themes of prophets and religious wars maintaining the ambiguity between faith and scam.
Not sure what the next big fat fantasy tome is, for the moment I'm inclined towards shorter standalones, probably The Last Unicorn when I finish a non-genre I picked up last night [Tishomingo Blues]

 

[Seegee]

Finished Red Seas Under Red Skies for the 3rd time. I really enjoy Lynch's writing. Wish he'd finish the 3rd one. Dying to meet Sabetha.

 

[Gilgamesh]

I'm really enjoying Memories of Ice, the 3rd book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It's another very strong book. I just hope that Erikson keeps the quality this high throughout the series.

Review of the previous book I read: Royal Exile by Fiona McIntosh.

 

[Astra_]

I'm really enjoying Memories of Ice, the 3rd book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It's another very strong book. I just hope that Erikson keeps the quality this high throughout the series.

Review of the previous book I read: Royal Exile by Fiona McIntosh.

Do you have a list of books that you liked and disliked? I am very curious

 

[Gilgamesh]

Do you have a list of books that you liked and disliked? I am very curious

From my recent-enough reads, my top ones would be:

- First two Malazan books
- First two SoIaF books
- Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy
- The Name of the Wind

then probably comes:

- Ice Song
- Heroes Die
- The Fall of Ossard
- Transformation
- Elantris

the only book I really couldn't finish:

- The Chosen by Ricardo Pinto

I didn't really like:

- Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
- I could read until the 5th Sword of Truth book. Not sure if I'll read the rest of the series even though I have most of them sitting and waiting in my library.

As I don't read as fast/much as most of you, I'm probably taking less risks with the books I'm reading. Following the forums here and reading online reviews help a lot.

 

[DurzoBlint]

Just finished A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin. I enjoyed it but didn't think it was as strong as A Game of Thrones and I had a hard time reading it at the pace I did with AGOT.

Still very much enjoying the series and will return to it once I finish The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott. It should be a short read as it is only 300 pages.

 

[Astra_]

As I don't read as fast/much as most of you, I'm probably taking less risks with the books I'm reading. Following the forums here and reading online reviews help a lot.

Ditto.
I read 1 book every 3-4 weeks, thus cannot risk reading unknown or something I am not sure about.
Thanks for the list.

 

[NickeeCoco]

Well, last night I finished K.J Parker's The Company. My full thoughts are in the BotM thread, but there's spoilers. I had mixed feelings for the book. Intellectually I liked it. I think there some fantastic stuff in there. The structure of the novel was brilliant. However, emotionally, it just didn't do it for me. If you want a pleasure read, I would not recommend it, but if you want something you can sink your intellectual teeth into, go right ahead.


After I finished that one, I started Carol Berg's Transformation. I read until 3:30am. I'm about two-thirds through it. I'm really enjoying this one. I had a hard time putting it down. I probably would have read through until it was done, but my partner kept tossing and turning on the bed. A couple of times he glanced up at me and the bedside light with a baleful stare. So, I had to pack it in. I plan on finishing it up today.

 

[NickeeCoco]

Ditto.
I read 1 book every 3-4 weeks, thus cannot risk reading unknown or something I am not sure about.
Thanks for the list.

Aw. No risk, no gain.

Some of my favourite time is spent going from book spine to book spine in the book store. If something has an interesting title, I'll pick it up and read the back. If it sounds alright, I'll open a random page and read it to see what I think. That's how you can find some real gems. That's how I found Abercrombie and Lynch, for instance.

 

[Gilgamesh]

Some of my favourite time is spent going from book spine to book spine in the book store. If something has an interesting title, I'll pick it up and read the back. If it sounds alright, I'll open a random page and read it to see what I think. That's how you can find some real gems. That's how I found Abercrombie and Lynch, for instance.

Well... Looks like Astra and I are playing safe by following... or let's say we're standing on the shoulders of giants when we pick what to read next .

 

[NickeeCoco]

Well... Looks like Astra and I are playing safe by following... or let's say we're standing on the shoulders of giants when we pick what to read next .

I just like the hunt. There's a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you find something really good on your own. It's almost like your own little secret, even though its not. After I found Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora and loved it, I started telling everyone I knew about it. I was passing on that secret gem of a book. Of course, I then discovered this site and soon learned that many people have discovered the book too, but the book will always be a little more special, 'cos I found it.

I know that sounds ridiculous and maybe a little self-delusional, but it's how it works. Closest to magic I can get, I guess.

 

[LaMattie]

From my recent-enough reads, my top ones would be:

- First two Malazan books
- First two SoIaF books
- Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy
- The Name of the Wind

then probably comes:

- Ice Song
- Heroes Die
- The Fall of Ossard
- Transformation
- Elantris

the only book I really couldn't finish:

- The Chosen by Ricardo Pinto

I didn't really like:

- Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts
- I could read until the 5th Sword of Truth book. Not sure if I'll read the rest of the series even though I have most of them sitting and waiting in my library.

As I don't read as fast/much as most of you, I'm probably taking less risks with the books I'm reading. Following the forums here and reading online reviews help a lot.

I see we have similar tastes!
Your top books are really good, they definitly deserve that characterisation.
I read ASoIaF, The Name of the Wind, only the firat book of the First Law trilogy so far, and I have Gardens of the Moon waiting on my shelf. I've heard excellent reviews on The Malazon Empire but I wonder, is the series only good at the first books, like The Sword of Truth, when I had to struggle with each repeating sentence?

 

[Gilgamesh]

I've heard excellent reviews on The Malazon Empire but I wonder, is the series only good at the first books, like The Sword of Truth, when I had to struggle with each repeating sentence?

I'm reading the 3rd book so I'm not the best person to comment on that but I know people who've read almost all the Malazan books published to date (Erikson + Esslemont). To date, I haven't heard an absolute negative comment yet, however, people seem to have their favorite book in the series so they may rate a given book stronger than the others.

 

[NickeeCoco]

Finished up Transformation by Carol Berg. Excellent book. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was hard to put down, let me tell you. Next, Revelation.

 

[ObtusePunubiris]

I have Gardens of the Moon waiting on my shelf. I've heard excellent reviews on The Malazon Empire but I wonder, is the series only good at the first books, like The Sword of Truth, when I had to struggle with each repeating sentence?

I've read six of the planned ten Malazan novels and so far the quality has been consistently high. I've also read all of SOT and the Malazan books are superior by far...very, very far.

 

[Cranky Hamster]

Read Charlie Huston's My Dead Body, the last of the Joe Pitt books.

It was good. Really pared-down -- Huston doesn't write fluff ever, and capping off a five-book series in a slim novel like this means taking things to an extreme of stripped-down narrative and superfast pacing -- and at times it seemed maybe a touch too convenient that every turn in the plot just happened to tie up a different loose end so that everything could be resolved in just over 300 dialogue-heavy pages. And toward the very end there was a distinct echo of dominoes falling under all that gunfire.

But that's not really a complaint, just a "wah it's all over." Because wah, it's all over.