What are you reading [Feb 2017]?

Ralif Redhammer

Legend

• Feb 17, 2017

• #11

Just finished The Old Gods Waken. A serviceable tale, worth reading, but not exemplary, at least in my book. I can’t get enough of the following quote, though:

"Reuben Manco spoke. He’d been a-looking up at the moon, too.
“She used to be a goddess,” he said… “Sometimes I feel a touch of sadness when I think that men have gone to the moon and proved her to be just a silent, dusty rock.”"

And now it’s on to Sanderson’s Arcanum Unbounded.

 

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R

Richards

Legend

• Feb 18, 2017

• #12

I just finished Dean Koontz's Ashley Bell. It had good characters, an interesting plot...and then the twist towards the end left me completely flat. As in: I didn't buy it for a second. This was an uncharacteristic "fail" for Koontz - he almost always delivers for me.

Now I'm reading David Brin's Existence, about what happens to civilization on Earth as a whole in the near future once we find incontrovertible proof that alien life exists - or at least existed - somewhere out there.

Johnathan

 

I

isaquelazaro

First Post

• Feb 21, 2017

• #13

I'm reading a brazilian book named "Blasphemy", The Last Wish (the first of The Witcher books) and two technical books on writing, from Francine Prose and Joseph Campbell. Actually, Campbell's book is far beyond it, delving into psychanalisis territory, but the primary reason I bought it was to study "the hero's journey" story structure from the font.
I Just bought some Stephen King books, including It and Misery, an André Vianco book, and I need to start my Poe anthology asap.

Oh, and last week I finished reading a horror anthology in which I was featured. It was a solid book. Of course, there aren't only stories I liked. In fact, I actually disliked a whole lot of them, but it's a book that appeals to every format of horror story and every type of reader, so it's got a lot of merit by it.

 

J

Jhaelen

First Post

• Feb 22, 2017

• #14

I just finished 'Uprooted' by Naomi Novik, and it's rather good actually. While it ain't Shakespeare, it's an entertaining take on old Polish Faerie Tales with some high points, particular when describing the dark faerie forest. It's been criticized for the way magic works in the novel, but it didn't bother me at all, probably because of my D&D background, i.e. I'm comfortable with a setting that features both wizardly book-learners and sorcerers with a completely intuitive approach that works simply because magic is in their blood.

Next up is 'Black Man' by Richard Morgan.

 

Blue

Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

• Feb 23, 2017

• #15

Just finished reading Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. Dang fine piece of fiction. He often writes fantasy versions of real-world cultures, and this one is Tang Dynasty China. He did an excellent job of bringing that feel.

If I have a complaint, it is that the choice of where to end seems somewhat arbitrary. I had become so invested in what was happening in the world that a decision which was a perfect capstone for the protagonist's arc took me by surprise, because a different and equally acceptable choice would have continued the plot and I would have been able to visit longer.

Oh, and to try not to spoil anything, I can say that after a trip in the desert I was both cheering and crying. Damn. Very, very far away from how a lesser, more formulaic, author would have plotted. Bravo.

I think this has, with understated poetry, placed itself as y third favorite GGK, behind The Fionavar Tapestry (I love mythic) and Tigania (just, wow). 3rd best doesn't sound like high praise, but it is considering the excellent works it's needed to bypass like A Song for Arbonne and Ysabel.

I see that he also has River of Stars, taking place several centuries later in the same world. I'm torn between picking it up immediately, but that would mingle them in my mind, or letting this glow and read something quite different, and then picking it up later. Anyone read it?

 

Ralif Redhammer

Legend

• Feb 24, 2017

• #16

Novik’s Temeraire series had its ups and downs (though it thankfully ended on a high note), but Uprooted has met with much acclaim. One of these days I will get to reading it.

Jhaelen said:

I just finished 'Uprooted' by Naomi Novik, and it's rather good actually. While it ain't Shakespeare, it's an entertaining take on old Polish Faerie Tales with some high points, particular when describing the dark faerie forest. It's been criticized for the way magic works in the novel, but it didn't bother me at all, probably because of my D&D background, i.e. I'm comfortable with a setting that features both wizardly book-learners and sorcerers with a completely intuitive approach that works simply because magic is in their blood.

Next up is 'Black Man' by Richard Morgan.

Click to expand...

 

Wednesday Boy

The Nerd WhoFell to Earth

• Feb 24, 2017

• #17

I just started the Lies of Locke Lamora due to praise by Ralif and Dioltach in another thread. Thanks for the recommendation--I'm enjoying it so far!

 

Blue

Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal

• Feb 25, 2017

• #18

Wednesday Boy said:

I just started the Lies of Locke Lamora due to praise by Ralif and Dioltach in another thread. Thanks for the recommendation--I'm enjoying it so far!

Click to expand...

Fantastic book. Can't say more.

 

trappedslider

Legend

• Feb 27, 2017

• #19

So, I finished up The Merchant Princes books and I enjoyed them all,I now plan to purchase the reissue while waiting for the next book to come out. And I've now started on reading The Whistler by John Grisham another one of my favorite non-sci-fi authors.

 

Kramodlog

Naked and living in a barrel

• Mar 1, 2017

• #20

I just finished The Player of Games by Iain Banks. It is the second book in the Culture series. I chose it because it got good reviews, better ones than the first Culture novel.

The first 100 pages, a third of the novel, weren't great. The protagonist does nothing because ennui is eating him alive. He needs a new game and a good adversary. The rest of the novel is him playing that game for the crown of a galactic empire. That part is more engrossing, but it didn't satisfy the hard sci-fi and space opera fan in me. I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not. Weird.

Next up is The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett and The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. Other classics.