What are you reading in 2023?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

King’s early stuff is so much better than his later stuff. At least he didn’t kill the dog.

There are some things I did like about the book, to be fair. I like the Black God's Kiss-style tunnel into the second world. I really like the use of the monarch butterflies throughout. I liked the shoe exchange idea. And I liked that the protagonist, instead of doing the typical and stupid "I'll just be a solitary guardian of this huge secret, potentially setting up this whole problem repeating in the future," took logical action to break the cycle.

I suspect King would be a fun DM, so long as one third of the campaign wasn't about PCs' rough childhoods.

 

[Richards]

I was on a business trip all week, and while I finished up the Destroyer book on the airplane on Monday (and it was very good), the other two novels I had brought were less than spectacular. They were the last two novels in a "three early novels released as one book" volume by Lisa Jackson, who has since gone on to write police procedurals and thrillers I've enjoyed. Unfortunately, these are pretty much just straight romances - you know I'm not really interested in reading a book when it comes in second place to old "Seinfeld," "The Office," and "South Park" marathons on TV in a hotel room.

But today, being the travel day back home, I finished up the second novel (I had read the first one months ago and set it aside, hoping they weren't all going to be pretty much just romances) in the airport and am about 40 pages from the end of the third one, so I should be ready for something more my taste over the weekend. (The three-in-one volume was called Ruthless, rather misleadingly. Not recommended, unless sappy romances are your thing. I'm glad she's moved on to more interesting fare in the meantime.)

Johnathan

 

[Mallus]

I’m on a “reading 21st century science fiction I should have read by now” kick. Finished Peter Watts‘s Blightsight and Echopraxia. Currently finishing Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Ruin (the one about octopuses).

 

[overgeeked]

I tried both The Legend of Dragon Quest and Fight, Magic, Items (two books on JRPGs) and both were disappointing.

The Dragon Quest book reads like it was translated by Google translate. You ever see those signs of terrible translations that just don’t make sense and are funny as hell? It’s like that. For a whole book. Only it’s not funny. What is understandable though is the writer loves Dragon Quest more than anything and literally hero worships the creators. It’s filled with outlandishly gushing praise rather than anything approaching relevant information.

Fight, Magic, Items is better written but just kinda boring. So it’s going to the bottom of my TBR pile.

I am reading A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games, a mammoth book on JRPGs. It’s a more balanced history of book covering the genre from the beginning. It’s huge. And a great read so far.

 

[Ryujin]

I tried both The Legend of Dragon Quest and Fight, Magic, Items (two books on JRPGs) and both were disappointing.

The Dragon Quest book reads like it was translated by Google translate. You ever see those signs of terrible translations that just don’t make sense and are funny as hell? It’s like that. For a whole book. Only it’s not funny. What is understandable though is the writer loves Dragon Quest more than anything and literally hero worships the creators. It’s filled with outlandishly gushing praise rather than anything approaching relevant information.

Fight, Magic, Items is better written but just kinda boring. So it’s going to the bottom of my TBR pile.

I am reading A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games, a mammoth book on JRPGs. It’s a more balanced history of book covering the genre from the beginning. It’s huge. And a great read so far.

I did two years translating the translations of Chinese computer parts manuals into comprehensible English. Many times this would involve testing the product so that I could create an almost completely new manual, myself, because the original was truly incomprehensible.

Here's a translation from a 1962 Honda motorcycle manual that makes the rounds on riding forums. Watch out for that lurking skid demon.

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[Nellisir]

Finally got around to stopping by the local independent bookstore (which is quite good*, well-stocked, and basically The Only Real Bookstore in the capitol city of New Hampshire (because the other one is Borders Books-A-Million BAM which took over the Borders store, shelving, and apparently sign font) and using the gift certificates I'd been given months ago.

In no particular order**: Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore; Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey; Witch King by Martha Well; All The Seas of The World by Guy Gavriel Kay; and The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson have all entered To Be Read status (much to the dismay of the existing to-be-read books).

Honestly these all feel like a glorious dessert treat so I don't know which I'm going to read first.

*I'm still a little miffed they rejected me for a job 30 years ago I suspect because I said fantasy & SF was my favorite genre and they were A Serious Bookstore, but I'm getting over it.
**I lied, they're from smallest to largest because that's how I stacked them on the desk.

 

[Richards]

Tonight I start The Final Twist by Jeffery Deaver, the latest in the Colter Shaw series about a "troubleshooter" who makes his living going around the country and looking into missing persons cases that are offering rewards. This is the third in the series; the first two were both good.

Johnathan

 

[dragoner]

Finished Black Corridor by Moorcock, was ok. Now I am reading the Black Chrome sup for Cyberpunk Red.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Book 4 of Craft Cycle, First Last Snow.
Interesting thing, they are titled in chronological order, although written and published in the order of 3, 2, 5, 1, 4. I am reading them in publication order. Oh, and I guess vol 6 (Ruin of Angels) came out a few years after the first 5, and is also chronologically after vol 5.
Since my to-read list is 1400+ books long, I doubt I'll ever go back and read them in their internal chronological order... Regardless, right now I am reading my 4th Craft Cycle book, which is the first in the internal chronology. I'm interested to see what events here will be echoes in the other books I've already read... I'm excited that I have the other two already, so I can just read those right after.

To which, I finished Full Fathom Five, the 3/5th book in the Craft Cycle earlier this week. I just love the "modern except for the magic thing" he's doing. The whole part about the main character basically getting demoted from the priesthood and moving to the "pilgrim relations" team sounded a LOT like someone getting moved from Engineering to the Sales team. The line "I spent the morning memorizing the acronyms" is just so great, when there are literally floating towers and GODS running around the setting.

Anyway, this is either your jam or it's not. I think it would appeal to fans of China Mieville's Bas-Lag novels like Perdido Street Station. Could there be a Craft RPG? Often there are multiple characters who eventually team up - I think it definitely could. I'd play it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Finished Black Corridor by Moorcock, was ok. Now I am reading the Black Chrome sup for Cyberpunk Red.

Followed by Glen Cook's Black Company, I assume.