What are you reading in 2023?

[overgeeked]

Just about done reading Black Sword Hack and absolutely loving it. So I feel a sword & sorcery dive coming up. Maybe the next Conan anthology in the series or another go at Leiber or Moorcock.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

light-hearted zombie cow apocalypse

Potentially my new favorite genre

 

[overgeeked]

Just about done reading Black Sword Hack and absolutely loving it. So I feel a sword & sorcery dive coming up. Maybe the next Conan anthology in the series or another go at Leiber or Moorcock.

Yeah. Restarted Elric of Melniboné…and lasted a few pages before putting it down again. A bored prince sitting on a throne being bored at a boring party is about the most boring start to a book I can imagine. Anyone know how far I have to skip ahead for book to actually start?

So I picked up the next Conan anthology in the Del Rey series, Conquering Sword of Conan. I’m almost halfway through the first story, a near-novel length piece called Servants of Bit-Yakin. It’s a good read so far. A few lines look a bit racist but not glaringly so. There’s that at least. Here’s to hoping that angle is lessened in the series going forward.

 

[ichabod]

I just finished Halting State and The Great Cheese Conspiracy. I think next is the Martian, and then a reread of all of my Martha Wells books.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah. Restarted Elric of Melniboné…and lasted a few pages before putting it down again. A bored prince sitting on a throne being bored at a boring party is about the most boring start to a book I can imagine. Anyone know how far I have to skip ahead for book to actually start?

Skip all the way into an underrated/little remembered badass sword & sorcery author, C.L. Moore, and Black God's Kiss, which starts moments before all sorts of crazy crap starts happening. (There's a moment or two of "yikes, this was written 70 years ago" in the follow-up story, but it's worth reading as well.)

I love Red Sonja, but Jirel of Joiry makes her look like a cosplaying wannabe.

 

[Nellisir]

Skip all the way into an underrated/little remembered badass sword & sorcery author, C.L. Moore, and Black God's Kiss, which starts moments before all sorts of crazy crap starts happening. (There's a moment or two of "yikes, this was written 70 years ago" in the follow-up story, but it's worth reading as well.)

I love Red Sonja, but Jirel of Joiry makes her look like a cosplaying wannabe.

Jirel is badass

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished reading Cabell's Figures of Earth. Holy moly, was it an outstanding read. I totally get Neil Gaiman's praise of James Branch Cabell.

Now I'm reading This Is Me, Jack Vance!: Or, More Properly, This Is "I." By, well, you can guess by the title.

Skip all the way into an underrated/little remembered badass sword & sorcery author, C.L. Moore, and Black God's Kiss, which starts moments before all sorts of crazy crap starts happening. (There's a moment or two of "yikes, this was written 70 years ago" in the follow-up story, but it's worth reading as well.)

I love Red Sonja, but Jirel of Joiry makes her look like a cosplaying wannabe.

Jirel of Joiry is a great character, and the scant handful of stories C.L. Moore wrote featuring her well worth reading.

 

[Parmandur]

Just finished Crossroads of Twilight, the worst of the Wheel of Time books, this morning. Lots of great prose, characters are strong, but man nothing happen in this book. Fortunately, the next one, Knofe of Drams (Robert Jordan's last novel) is a huge banger. I'm an hour and a half into the progressive, about halfway to Chapter 1!

 

[Zaukrie]

Just finished Crossroads of Twilight, the worst of the Wheel of Time books, this morning. Lots of great prose, characters are strong, but man nothing happen in this book. Fortunately, the next one, Knofe of Drams (Robert Jordan's last novel) is a huge banger. I'm an hour and a half into the progressive, about halfway to Chapter 1!

I couldn't get past book 4 or 5, so good on you.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Just finished Crossroads of Twilight, the worst of the Wheel of Time books, this morning. Lots of great prose, characters are strong, but man nothing happen in this book. Fortunately, the next one, Knofe of Drams (Robert Jordan's last novel) is a huge banger. I'm an hour and a half into the progressive, about halfway to Chapter 1!

Knife of Dreams does kick the series back into overdrive, but it makes me sad. After hundreds and hundreds of pages of nothing much happening, you can feel him trying to make up for it, to race against time and illness.