What are you Reading? July 2018 edition

[Jhaelen]

Perdido Street Station seems to be one of those books you love or hate. Or maybe love AND hate it. It was my first Mieville, and none of the others that I read have hit those same rarefied heights. Or maybe it was just in contrast of reading too many "our elves are different!" (but everything else is the same) fantasy books at the time.

Quite true! 'Perdido Station' was my first Mieville novel, too, and it was definitely a love/hate thing. While I really enjoyed his style and was intrigued by the setting, the story was a bit too 'grimdark' for my taste. That's why I delayed reading the next novel using this setting (Leviathan) over a decade. However, when I finally did read it, I was immediately sucked back into the great setting. I also liked the story better.

I also really liked 'Embassytown' because it's built on such a fascinating premise; I enjoy stories that get me thinking. 'The City & the city' also featured a rather unique premise, but was ultimately a bit underwhelming.

 

[TwoSix]

Perdido Street Station seems to be one of those books you love or hate. Or maybe love AND hate it. It was my first Mieville, and none of the others that I read have hit those same rarefied heights. Or maybe it was just in contrast of reading too many "our elves are different!" (but everything else is the same) fantasy books at the time.

I can certainly think of some elements that could bug people.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I definitely had mixed feelings on Perdido Street Station. Parts I loved, like the world-building. Other parts infuriated me, like the ending. The book was ambitious, but at times tried to be too many things at one time.

Perdido Street Station seems to be one of those books you love or hate. Or maybe love AND hate it.

 

[Blue]

Hey [MENTION=205]TwoSix[/MENTION], I finished Marked. I was happy to see how competent Alex had gotten, but I agree that except for Anne there wasn't much of the supporting cast. A bit of Luna and generic named NPC levels for Vari and Arachne. And while I'm glad for the dramatic development, I don't feel like much of the series plot arcs progressed. Yes, [spoiler1] and [spoiler2], but nothing new from [spoiler3], just the same sort of ploy as before.

 

[EmberGod]

just got The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Finished Ringworld by Niven. I liked it but I don't think it was great, just good. The psychic luck I found dodgy.

 

[Richards]

I'm still reading through R. A. Salvatore's Rise of the King, but since it's a hardcover and I spent Monday and Wednesday in airports and on airplanes (business trip meeting on Tuesday), I opted to read a paperback during my travels just for the size consideration. (But I brought the hardback along to read in the hotel.) Since I dislike reading two novels at once, I went with the 1985 Far Frontiers collection edited by Jerry Pournelle and Jim Baen. It was science fiction short stories, novelettes, speculative fact essays, and a book review, all taken from the pages of the magazine of the same name for that year. It was pretty good - and I have the next two years' editions of the same in my hopper for future reading.

But Rise of the King is getting good, too. The set-up is about all over with and the big action scenes are in the forefront.

Johnathan

 

[Aeson]

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

 

[Blue]

Finished Ringworld by Niven. I liked it but I don't think it was great, just good. The psychic luck I found dodgy.

They actually expand on that in the following books, it becomes more solid.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

They actually expand on that in the following books, it becomes more solid.

I hope so, it didn't ruin the book for me but it seemed to get out of hand by the end. I don't think I'll go further though.

So reading some short stories out of Swords against Death by Leiber. Find this kind of fantasy so much more satisfying than save the world stuff.