[Oct] What Are You Reading?

[Gronin]

I am currently re-reading Wolf in Shadow by David Gemmell and wil follow it up with the other two books in the trilogy, The Last Guardian and Bloodstone. I have read them before more than once but I am a huge Gemmell fan and of all of his great characters Jon Shannow, the Jerusalem Man, is my favourite. (Although Jerek Mace is a very close second.

 

[delericho]

Fiction: "The Joiner King" by Troy Denning. I'm not really enjoying it. I don't know why, but it just seems to be falling flat. After that, I'll probably read "The Iron Council" by China Meiville (sp?), or the second book in the "Tales of the Dying Earth" by Vance.

Game: Dragon magazine (not sure of the issue number, but it's the one with Ari Marmell's excellent article about the birth of the undead). After that, Dungeon magazine (likewise - second part of "Vampires of Waterdeep), and then it's back to Stormwrack.

Other: 2 Chronicles. Then I'm going to step back and have another go at tackling Numbers.

 

[MonsterMash]

Game: Wilderlands of High Fantasy boxed set - I feel like I could run about 5 simultaneous weekly campaigns and never exhaust the potential of this setting.

Magazine: National Geographic October issue

 

[Desdichado]

I just finished Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Master of Adventure, a book by Richard Lupoff about ERB. Currently reading Lin Carter's Jandar of Callisto which is an inferior Barsoom rip-off, although entertaining enough that I'll finish it and look for the sequel. Also reading H. Rider Haggard's She. I expect I'll also read his King Solomon's Mines this month too.

 

[Simulated Sanity]

The Etched City - K.J. Bishop, her debut. A phantasmagoric tropical city western. Beautifully bizarre.

 

[CCamfield]

I'm now reading A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich. You know those empires in fiction with mad emperors, corrupt ministers, etc? That's pretty much where they came from - more than the earlier Romans, I think. It's amazing how many emperors got deposed by force, from the portion I've read so far.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Still on George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. Started it late last month and haven't had ample time to finish it. I'll try to read another 50ish pages tonight. I'm pressed for time these days. I should be reading it right now, actually....

Coincidentally, I started it a couple of months ago and haven't gotten very far. I think I may actually give up on it entirely as it seems to be one of those infrequent books that for some reason just does absolutely nothing for me. I've given it a pretty good shot so I don't feel too bad about not finishing it. I think instead I'll go find Thud to feed my discworld habit, and then something else to read tomorrow too (since I read even the BAD discworld books quite ravenously)

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Just Finished City of Splendors (the new Greenwood/Cunningham FR hardcover).

Overall, I liked it. FR novels seem to have stepped it up a notch lately.

Sure, they did the whole "Whoa look what really wierd things all happened to Khelbon, Laerel, and every other uber-wizard at the same time the greatest threat to the city EVER is happening. But it's done OK.

Overall, it was like a good comic/tv show/movie series. Some things just have to happen.

The only part I disliked was the "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER, Kill off the main baddie! We might need him for the sequel!"

The whole Happy Ending.....DUM DUM DUM (or is it?) Has been played to death.

If you can find it at 1/2 price or wait til it hits paperback I think you'll get your money's worth. I got it for 34% off at Amazon & am content with it.

It's good, very good. But not Great.

Now, its on to Sillverheart, the new Michael Moorcock, Storm Constantine novel set in Moorcock's Multiverse.

 

[Wormwood]

Haunted, by Chuck Palahniuk. Just started it last night. Guardedly optimistic (I loved Lullaby but hated Diary, so go figure)

My glove-compartment book* remains, as it has for the past month, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

*that is, the book I keep in my car for those moments when you really wish you had something to do while stuck in your car. Textbooks, histories and the like are best g.c.b's out there. On deck": the Golden Bough.

 

[Starman]

I finished Knife of Dreams. I'm going to be rereading A Song of Ice and Fire while I wait for A Feast for Crows.

As far as RPG books, I'm reading: Five Nations and Explorer's Handbook for Eberron, Shadowrun 4th Edtion, and a copy of Arcana Unearthed I picked up cheap.