What are you reading in 2025?

[Voadam]

It happened in 1977

I had never heard of it, thanks for the link.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

If it's got dragons and elves and orcs and stuff, isn't it fantasy? Plenty of fantasy has had sex in it. Fritz Leiber had Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser getting down with ghouls, rat-women, invisible flying people, etc.

Fritz Leiber, especially the latter stuff, is a notably, ahem, horny author.

And honestly, what is "fantasy aimed at men"? I got several hundred books from someone whose husband had died, and it's all military sf. I don't recognize half the authors, and I'm not all that interested in the books. So....which "men"? Conversely, I just today finished Nona the Ninth, part of the Locked Tomb series (probably a quartet now), which is almost always referred to as Lesbian Necromancers In Space. I avoided this series for ages because, eww, girl sf. Jokes on me, it's really, really good. It's not a one-trick pony; there's logic at play; and it's very well written.

Anyway, read what you want.

The Locked Tomb series is exceptional. Great characters, cool worldbuilding, and each book challenges you in a different way. As you said, it's never a one-trick pony.

Well, you missed about five years of gross crap on the internet about 10 years ago then, luckily for you.

Yeah, there has been extensive discussion of the sad and rabid puppies in all sorts of geek and literary circles on the internet.

 

[Nellisir]

The Locked Tomb series is exceptional. Great characters, cool worldbuilding, and each book challenges you in a different way. As you said, it's never a one-trick pony.

I waited a long time to read Gideon the Ninth, and then was so furious at the ending I literally refused to read Harrow the Ninth for a few more years - guaranteeing I'd mostly forgotten the details of Gideon. Then I waited a few more to read Nona the Ninth, and f me now I have to wait for Alecto the Ninth?!?!

Nona's a doll, though.

 

[prabe]

Oh I was not talking about blurbs - they are just marketing and often feel like the quoted authors didn't even read the book. I mean more like when authors talk in interviews, blogs, social media etc. about their influences and favorite works - these are the goldmines. Often they reference not very famous and well-known books, I got into some really cool niche works because of that.

The authors I bother with seem to actually blurb sincerely, but I agree there's a strong marketing component to the practice, generally. In a way, going by what authors talk about is kinda like--back when I was much more into music, back in the days of physical media--looking at the liner notes of a band to see what bands they thanked or otherwise mentioned (which is a thing I did).

 

[Kiyal]

Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon. I re-read it after the Paksworld announcement.

I loved the Deeds of Paksennarion, but hadn't heard about a Paksworld announcement. What did they announce?

 

[Belen]

I loved the Deeds of Paksennarion, but hadn't heard about a Paksworld announcement. What did they announce?

Paksworld announced a 5e and their own system TTRPG.

 

[darjr]

Right now Scalzi When the Moon Hits your Eye.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Paksworld announced a 5e and their own system TTRPG.

Details, such as they are, are right here on ENWorld.

 

[Clint_L]

Right now Scalzi When the Moon Hits your Eye.

I'll probably read it - I keep reading Scalzi even though all of his recent novels have been various flavours of disappointment.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Still working my way through Don Quixote, as I probably will be for a good while to come.

Around the 25% mark, it's picking up some, with a plot that feels equally Canterbury Tales and William Shakespeare, with a heartbroken "mad knight" whose noble lord stole his betrothed from him and a priest and a barber (a profession mentioned surprisingly often in this book) playing dress-up to convince Quixote that the barber is actually a princess in need of rescuing, so they can lure him back home to La Mancha.

This definitely reads like a serial novel, in that Cervantes is figuring it out as he goes along and publishing the earlier parts as he finishes them, rather than going back through and cleaning them up after finishing up the later portions and seeing what works and what doesn't.