What are you reading [May 2017]?
- Thread starter Elodan
- Start date
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
So I finished the last two Alex Verus books that are out, and found out that the last out (#8) was just published in April of this year, so I have a wait for #9.
This series grew on me, starting from a dependable read but not fantastic. One can always draw parallels between books, and the likely Urban Fantasy with wizards and a light council is the Dresden books. Like Dresden, Alex has a few good friends, and also like Dresden he ends up in ever hotter water for his Pyrrhic victories. But it's not a copy-cat.
They are relatively quick reads, and enjoyable. Give them a solid 7.5-8 out of 10.
This series grew on me, starting from a dependable read but not fantastic. One can always draw parallels between books, and the likely Urban Fantasy with wizards and a light council is the Dresden books. Like Dresden, Alex has a few good friends, and also like Dresden he ends up in ever hotter water for his Pyrrhic victories. But it's not a copy-cat.
They are relatively quick reads, and enjoyable. Give them a solid 7.5-8 out of 10.
I've finished 'Dark Eden' by Chris Beckett. In retrospect it reminded me a lot of William Golding's classic novel 'Lord of the Flies'. Good stuff!
Now, I've started reading 'Air' by Geoff Ryman. It's set in a fictionalized version of Kazakhstan, in a small peasant village. They're about to get connected to the 'Air' network, which is basically the internet with a direct brain interface. In the wake of the first test, all kinds of accidents happen as their senses are overloaded, and the protagonist gets trapped in the mind of an old woman as she dies, thereafter sharing her memories.
Now, I've started reading 'Air' by Geoff Ryman. It's set in a fictionalized version of Kazakhstan, in a small peasant village. They're about to get connected to the 'Air' network, which is basically the internet with a direct brain interface. In the wake of the first test, all kinds of accidents happen as their senses are overloaded, and the protagonist gets trapped in the mind of an old woman as she dies, thereafter sharing her memories.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
Finished reading Charlie Holmberg’s The Glass Magician, the second in the series. While not quite as awesome as the first book, it still was quite excellent. Now I’m reading The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip. It was in storage at my library, so it has an excellent old book smell.
trappedslider
Legend
Lately while working on mods for FO4 I've been listening to audio books and figured something out for myself. I prefer audio books were it's either a cast ( World War Z) or the reader does different voices for the characters (Harry Potter).
I'm currently on book 2 of HP.
I'm currently on book 2 of HP.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
Finished The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – to me it seemed a true lost classic of the fantasy genre. Lyrical, it felt like a forgotten piece of folklore.
I got an email from the library that my other order had come in – alas, I had already started Return of the Crimson Guard, an 800-page novel!
I got an email from the library that my other order had come in – alas, I had already started Return of the Crimson Guard, an 800-page novel!
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Finished The Obelisk Gate, the second book of N.K Jemisin's Broken Earth series. Still very much enjoying it, but I wish there was more movement. The first book was three different stories weaving together as you slowly figured out the connections between them. This is 70% continuation of one of those stories but mired in one place, and 30% another story with the same sense of newness and exploration as any of the stories in the first book. Much happened in that 70%, but it still felt mired compared to the exploration of the setting (or maybe exploration of the implications of the setting, it wasn't a travelogue) that happened in the first book.
Started the first books of The Inheritance Trilogy by her. The very distinctive voice she uses to tell the Broken Earth series is not here. It's good and well thought out, I am enjoying it.
The Inheritance Trilogy is bound in one book at it would work as a boat anchor. My thoughts towards it is that Robert Jordan had forced the book binding industry to follow Moore's Law. So I have a "book on the go", which is the kindle version of Wearing the Cape by Marion G. Harmon. Funny, for as much as I enjoy superhero RPGs, movies and animation, I'm very rarely a reader of novels. This has been good, a bit of a deconstruction of what it means to be a super. Lots of exposition since the protagonist is a brand new super who is learning about what that means, but it doesn't bog down.
Talking about books deconstructing superheroes, if that tingles your senses I need to recommend Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. It's not a fantastic book in terms of plot - rather uneven and some of the villain self-pity gets to me. But I've reread it many times. The parts about being a super, what it means, why they do things, and the whole culture, is though provoking and excellent. You cheer for the villain as much if not more than for the heroes because you understand and empathize with his motivations. And perhaps under the cowl he's less of a jerk.
Started the first books of The Inheritance Trilogy by her. The very distinctive voice she uses to tell the Broken Earth series is not here. It's good and well thought out, I am enjoying it.
The Inheritance Trilogy is bound in one book at it would work as a boat anchor. My thoughts towards it is that Robert Jordan had forced the book binding industry to follow Moore's Law. So I have a "book on the go", which is the kindle version of Wearing the Cape by Marion G. Harmon. Funny, for as much as I enjoy superhero RPGs, movies and animation, I'm very rarely a reader of novels. This has been good, a bit of a deconstruction of what it means to be a super. Lots of exposition since the protagonist is a brand new super who is learning about what that means, but it doesn't bog down.
Talking about books deconstructing superheroes, if that tingles your senses I need to recommend Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. It's not a fantastic book in terms of plot - rather uneven and some of the villain self-pity gets to me. But I've reread it many times. The parts about being a super, what it means, why they do things, and the whole culture, is though provoking and excellent. You cheer for the villain as much if not more than for the heroes because you understand and empathize with his motivations. And perhaps under the cowl he's less of a jerk.
Nellisir
Hero
Finished The Obelisk Gate, and yeah, what Blue said. Though I still haven't found my copy of Book 1, which makes me sad and a little annoyed.
I read A Crown for Cold Silver, which was REALLY good - one of those "couldn't put it down & read way later at night than I meant to" kind of books. A Blade of Black Steel just jumped way, way up on my to-buy list.
The Dumas Club, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, was also good and a lot of fun.
I think there's another book or two I've read, but I'll have to check at home. Currently reading Girl Waits with Gun, by Amy Stewart, which is pretty good.
I read A Crown for Cold Silver, which was REALLY good - one of those "couldn't put it down & read way later at night than I meant to" kind of books. A Blade of Black Steel just jumped way, way up on my to-buy list.
The Dumas Club, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, was also good and a lot of fun.
I think there's another book or two I've read, but I'll have to check at home. Currently reading Girl Waits with Gun, by Amy Stewart, which is pretty good.
Nellisir
Hero
You should read the Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy. The Book of Atrix Wolfe is also really enjoyable. I've read a bunch of McKillip in recent years, and they're generally all very good.
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