What are you reading in 2023?

[Nellisir]

I was in another reading slump again, then found Children of Memory (Adrian Tchaikovsky), the sequel to Children of Time and Children of Ruin, in a bookstore a couple weeks ago. Read that; happened by another store and got Shards of Earth (same author). Also decided to reread Glen Cook's Dread Empire series; did A Fortress in Shadow (the prequel duology); A Quiet Wind (main trilogy); and Reap the East Wind (vol.1 of the final 3-book duology if I'm understanding it correctly.) Just started An Ill Fate Marshalling (vol.2 of book 1). A Path to Coldness of the Heart (book 2); An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat (Dread Empire short stories) (if I can find where I put it); and Eyes of the Void (back to Tchaikovsky) are on deck in some order. And the usual unread shelves. Going to what should be a pretty big used booksale near Dartmouth NH on Monday, with the GF.

Some kind of balance between not reading at all and reading every free moment might be nice occasionally.

The symmetries and differences between Dread Empire & Black Company are interesting. Also the magic in Dread Empire is pretty D&D-ish, albeit a near-total lack of religion. It clearly exists, and people mention gods as concrete things, but otherwise gets about no percentage in the books. I'm appreciating Cook's "nobody is fancy" approach; it's kinda hilarious reading about archmagi nervous about approaching a woman, and being outrageously magical when they have a kid (big colorful letters over the castle saying "IT'S A _______!!!"). Also his long-running habit of casually resolving long-running mysteries or concerns in a line or two.

I just printed & had bound MM2 (1e) & Monsters of Myth (OSRIC); and Basic Fantasy Field Guide 2 & 3 and A Hamsterish Hoard of Monsters (all B/X-ish). (I'm not sure about Monsters of Myth but the others aren't available in print or POD). The ink costs a bit, but coil binding is like $4.30 at staples, and I have cardboard I use as covers so they'll stand on the shelf. I grouped them into two volumes because why not. A little casual refresher reading for in-between times.

 

[Nellisir]

It's a long-time favorite of mine. I think it's appeal is twofold. One, it's based on ancient tales from Europe, but distilled and recontextualized in a distinctly American fashion. Two, it's a story that children and adults alike can enjoy.

I think it was a staple of American literature in schools for a few decades. It's also an accessible work from when American literature was really just starting to pull away and form its own identity, so if you want something kinda cool for people to read by a early American author, the list is pretty short. (Those two points reinforce each other.)

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I think it was a staple of American literature in schools for a few decades. It's also an accessible work from when American literature was really just starting to pull away and form its own identity, so if you want something kinda cool for people to read by a early American author, the list is pretty short. (Those two points reinforce each other.)

There's good stuff for gaming in here too. But warning - it's very dense and 840pp long. I tried to tackle it once and whew...

The Complete Tales of Washington Irving by Washington Irving

Washington Irving (1783-1859) was the first American literary artist to earn his living solely th...

app.thestorygraph.com

 

[Nellisir]

There's good stuff for gaming in here too. But warning - it's very dense and 840pp long. I tried to tackle it once and whew...

The Complete Tales of Washington Irving by Washington Irving

Washington Irving (1783-1859) was the first American literary artist to earn his living solely th...

app.thestorygraph.com

I think I read most of it back around HS. I grew up kinda remote, with no tv and quite a few books around.

I was not, however, ever desperate enough to read Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser, a book that continues to lurk on my dad's bookshelves.

 

[overgeeked]

Does anyone have any recommendations for action packed Fritz Lieber or Michael Moorcock stories? I've tried reading Swords and Deviltry and Elric of Melnibone a few times, but keep bouncing off the slow-paced early stories. I'm more of a Conan and action-adventure fan when it comes to fantasy, so the slow build, seemingly pointless info dumps, and courtly intrigue are just dull and boring.

 

[cranberry]

Just finished "Fall of Hyperion", and was excited to get to the 3rd book "Endymion". But then I read a number of reviews that claimed that it was just one long chase scene, and the characters were not well developed.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Just finished Designers & Dragons: The 70s by Shannon Appelcline. I enjoyed it, but (and this is nothing to do with the work itself) I read it on my Kindle, and I really wanted a physical copy of the book by the end. I felt like the digital format was fighting the organization a bit? I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next volumes, though.

Started The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson last night. I picked up the Three Californias   omnibus when I moved to California and loved it, so I thought I'd try something else by him. I have the Mars Trilogy, too, but I wanted a standalone novel for now.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I think it was a staple of American literature in schools for a few decades. It's also an accessible work from when American literature was really just starting to pull away and form its own identity, so if you want something kinda cool for people to read by a early American author, the list is pretty short. (Those two points reinforce each other.)

Yeah, a lot of us grew up with Washington Irving's stories in our consciousness, even before we read them.

Does anyone have any recommendations for action packed Fritz Lieber or Michael Moorcock stories? I've tried reading Swords and Deviltry and Elric of Melnibone a few times, but keep bouncing off the slow-paced early stories. I'm more of a Conan and action-adventure fan when it comes to fantasy, so the slow build, seemingly pointless info dumps, and courtly intrigue are just dull and boring.

For Moorcock, have you tried The History of the Runestaff series? Those kick off pretty quickly and move at a good clip.

 

[Starfox]

Currently I am Reading a hardbound collection of all the Earthsea books (Ursula LeGuin) and it is amazing. There some essays from LeGuin about her series. I have the annotated American Gods (Neil Gaiman) to read, present form my wife during Xmas. Also in the warm-up circle is a collection of the Witcher Novels (Andrzej Sapkowski), The Daevabad Trilogy (S. A Chakraborty) starting with The City of Brass, and finally The Peripheral and, it's sequel, The Agency (William Gibson).

There are four Earthsea Books now - I read the three that were there when I was a youth. I'd love your views on the fourth part.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

There are four Earthsea Books now - I read the three that were there when I was a youth. I'd love your views on the fourth part.

I was surprised to learn of a 5th and 6th, depending on whether you call the Tales of Earthsea book of short stories a "volume" or not

(The Other Wind being the "6th")