So what are you reading this year 2021?

[Eyes of Nine]

Then “Perdido Street Station” will follow. My wife got it for me for Christmas. My reading of China Mieville is limited to some of his comic work and I’ve meant to get to this book for some time, but for some reason my local B&N never had a copy.

Will be interested in hearing your opinion of Perdido.

 

[Blue]

Late coming to the party, but I've finally started reading Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I'm just a bit into Gardens of the Moon.

My immediate TBR pile includes The Riddlemaster of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip, Syd Field's Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, and The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. Oh, and I started and put aside The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. with holiday hectic-ness that I should pick back up - but it wasn't quite engaging me.

I see several mentions of Bridge of Birds. Really enjoyed it, and I saw a used copy of all three books in one cheap so I picked it up even though I own the first. Anyone have any experience with the other books in the series? It doesn't seem set up for a sequel.

 

[Nellisir]

Finished Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle, by Phil and Kaja Foglio. I'm going to go ahead and say 5/5, because it's a really good/fun read and compelling enough that I'm going to search out the one I (think) I have and get whatever I'm missing. PROBABLY the most Pratchett-like voice I've read aside from Pratchett himself (not the social satire side, just the humor and asides). It's a hefty book (good paper) and 484 pages, so it took me quite a bit longer than expected. On the down side, I have no idea who some of the characters were towards the end. They all just blurred.

My gf gets bookstore credit from her mother every year. Like, a really large amount. And she finally realized that she doesn't have to buy certain books anymore (unlike her previous job, which required a lot of reading according to certain criteria), and can buy ANYTHING. So she's also getting ME books. (I'm starting to get freaked out by how many books I've gotten in the past few months. Even for me it's insane. I've lost track. All half-price/gifts/used.)

Anyways, I'm closing in on the complete collection of Andrew Lang fairy books; got Noir by Christopher Moore, and the three most recent Arkady Renko books by Martin Cruz Smith: Three Stations; Tatiana; The Siberian Dilemma.

 

[Nellisir]

I see several mentions of Bridge of Birds. Really enjoyed it, and I saw a used copy of all three books in one cheap so I picked it up even though I own the first. Anyone have any experience with the other books in the series? It doesn't seem set up for a sequel.

I wrote a reply, but it didn't post or something?
Anyways, I love the Riddlemaster of Hed and NK Jemisin.

The sequels to Bridge of Birds are, basically, forgettable. It was lightning in a bottle, I guess. Barry Hughart apparently had an appalling time with his publishers (and hated that he was lumped in the fantasy genre), and quit writing after those three just so he wouldn't have to deal with them. He recently died, alas.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Finished Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle, by Phil and Kaja Foglio. I'm going to go ahead and say 5/5, because it's a really good/fun read and compelling enough that I'm going to search out the one I (think) I have and get whatever I'm missing. PROBABLY the most Pratchett-like voice I've read aside from Pratchett himself (not the social satire side, just the humor and asides). It's a hefty book (good paper) and 484 pages, so it took me quite a bit longer than expected. On the down side, I have no idea who some of the characters were towards the end. They all just blurred.

My gf gets bookstore credit from her mother every year. Like, a really large amount. And she finally realized that she doesn't have to buy certain books anymore (unlike her previous job, which required a lot of reading according to certain criteria), and can buy ANYTHING. So she's also getting ME books. (I'm starting to get freaked out by how many books I've gotten in the past few months. Even for me it's insane. I've lost track. All half-price/gifts/used.)

Anyways, I'm closing in on the complete collection of Andrew Lang fairy books; got Noir by Christopher Moore, and the three most recent Arkady Renko books by Martin Cruz Smith: Three Stations; Tatiana; The Siberian Dilemma.

Ok, just ducked (alternate search engine duckduckgo) "Andrew Lang Fairy" and

 

[KahlessNestor]

Still reading Exploring Eberron by Keith Baker.

Still reading Searching for Bobby Fischer.

Still reading White Night by Jim Butcher.

Still reading The Companions by R. A. Salvatore.

Still reading Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.

Still reading Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance.

Finished reading Killing Crazy Horse: The Merciless Indian Wars in America by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard.

Started reading The Battle of Salamis by Barry Strauss.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished Leiber's The Swords of Lankhmar. I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. My general feeling is that the latter you go in the series and the longer the story, the worse in quality. Yet Swords never dragged, kept that snappy dialog and action that the best Fafhrd and Grey Mouser tales have.

Next up is Hannes Bok's The Sorcerer's Ship.

 

[Nellisir]

Next up is Hannes Bok's The Sorcerer's Ship.

Oh, I think I have that! I'll see if I can find it & read it!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I've only casually bumped into the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, but am starting to pay more attention to it. The late 60s/early 70s had such a groundswell of interest in fantasy in music, art, and literature that contributed to the creation and popularity of D&D.

Oh, I think I have that! I'll see if I can find it & read it!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished Bok's The Sorcerer's Ship. Quite enjoyable, with an unexpected ending that made me love it even more. And even though it's not in Appendix N, it feels like it should be. There's illusion and healing magic, even sort-of clay golems. The illusion magic especially feels like an influence on D&D. It's specifically called out that an illusion of flame generated no heat.

Next up, Anthony A. Barrett's Rome Is Burning: Nero and the Fire That Ended a Dynasty.