What are you reading in 2023?

[Eyes of Nine]

I finally decided to not read the Wheel of Time books. Reasons below. You can see a theme...

• so long, and I could read so many other books and series in the same amount of time. I'm getting old, I am prioritizing my time more prescriptively these days
• There are books in the series where nothing happens. I'm getting old, I don't have time for that
• It's an ok, but not a great "must read" series. I'm getting old, I don't have time for that, especially at that length

Here are some other long-ish series I haven't read either that I'd prioritize over WoT:

• Expanse
• Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy (already read Assassin's Apprentice)
• Urth of the New Sun
• DiscWorld (starting at Pyramids and moving to the end)

Many other non SF/Fantasy like completing Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series etc

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There are many Discworld novels, but they're all relatively short and move like rocket ships. And, for those who don't want to handle several dozen novels, it's easy to just slim down to one of the shorter lines and get a very satisfying series that way. Heck, if you just had time for one Discworld novel, I think most fantasy fans would be very happy reading Small Gods and stopping, if they had to.

 

[Nellisir]

I finally decided to not read the Wheel of Time books. Reasons below. You can see a theme...

• so long, and I could read so many other books and series in the same amount of time. I'm getting old, I am prioritizing my time more prescriptively these days
• There are books in the series where nothing happens. I'm getting old, I don't have time for that
• It's an ok, but not a great "must read" series. I'm getting old, I don't have time for that, especially at that length

Here are some other long-ish series I haven't read either that I'd prioritize over WoT:

• Expanse
• Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy (already read Assassin's Apprentice)
• Urth of the New Sun
• DiscWorld (starting at Pyramids and moving to the end)

Many other non SF/Fantasy like completing Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series etc

Having read The Expanse, Discworld, and most of the TM trilogy...yes.
I'm unsure about New Sun. I might have, but it was a long time ago.

 

[Parmandur]

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

Not my first time through the series, but the first time in audiobook. Even at it's worst, I enjoy it, and the ending justifies everything.

 

[Parmandur]

It's an ok, but not a great "must read" series. I'm getting old, I don't have time for that, especially at that length

Well, the other points are fair enough, but this is definitely not the case. It is top shelf (literally, it's on my top shelf) and must read if possible (granted it can take a lot of time and energy).

Discworld is way easier, and not a "series" the same way. More like a Setting.

 

[Parmandur]

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.

Very bittersweet, true. I am glad he was able to end his work on a strong point, and that the series went past the finish line in a satisfactory manner. I had loat hope that could happen, but it did.

 

[Beleriphon]

Just finished The Lion: Son of the Forest from Black Library.

It got me to pick up Brutal Kunnin'. I think Brutal Kunnin' should be on every sci-fi fan's reading list, even if yo don't particularly like Warhammer 40K, there's something about the Ork POV that really just make me laugh.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

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

I got through Book 5. Enjoyed it a lot. But Jordan lost me in Book 6 (Burning Desires of the Green Ajah Lord of Chaos) with its 70-page prologue. That's a chapter, not a prologue.

 

[Parmandur]

I got through Book 5. Enjoyed it a lot. But Jordan lost me in Book 6 (Burning Desires of the Green Ajah Lord of Chaos) with its 70-page prologue. That's a chapter, not a prologue.

Oh, 70 pages is nothing, the prologues get over 100 pages, or in the case of Knife of Dreams over 3 hours in a 32 hour audiobook (that one is a banger, even if the prolougr might technically be a novella). There is a chapter in Memory of Light that is over 200 pages...though that particular chapter is one of the greatest achievements in fantasy literature and wargaming at the same time.

Brandon Sanderson has very cleverly inserted outlet valves in the Stormlight Archives to avoid that phenomenon, with the Interlude viewpoints between Parts.

 

[dragoner]

Anathem is a big boy, just checked it out of the library. Finished Diamond Age by Stephenson, I didn't much care for some parts. I think for that I'd recommend Queen of Angels over it.

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of hard backs fall apart, like they are glued in, sort of defeats the purpose of them being hard backs.