What are you reading in 2025?

[Paul Farquhar]

It’s kind of worrying actually - Terry Pratchett became increasing repetitive as the Alzheimer’s set in, even with a good assistant.

 

[TheSword]

It’s kind of worrying actually - Terry Pratchett became increasing repetitive as the Alzheimer’s set in, even with a good assistant.

Are you worried about Alzheimer’s? Kinda feel being able to publish at least 6 novels after the diagnosis is amazing which just goes to show, never surrender.

 

[Entrught]

This year I'm hooked on The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, the eco theme is seriously intense. Also reading The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin, the worldbuilding is sick and the plot’s lit. Can’t wait to dig into more new stuff

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I think Sanderson have become too successful to edit. He either doesn't listen/trust his editors or they don't dare too much and/or are yes-men. Because these weaknesses are common critique of his books a lot of people seen this, every experienced editor has seen these weaknesses, I am 100% sure of that.

I am really curious how bad "Wind and Truth" will be, appereantly even many diehard fans critique this book as too long and having too much padding. But I will read the complete series anyway. Its on the one hand an sort of academic curiosity - he is one of the most successful fantasy writers at the moment. But I also still enjoy his books besides the glaring weaknesses. There is still a great plot, exciting action, nice character moments etc. There are just padded so much. I think what makes me most mad is the missed potential. With better editing these could've been so good.

What I'm seeing with my friends is that now 100% of us have been "taken out" by Book 3, 4 or 5 (Wind and Truth is 5) of Stormlight. No-one I know is continuing to read Stormlight. Whereas like, almost everyone I know who reads fantasy novels (which is surprisingly large number of people) read the books 1 & 2, and most of them made it to 3. 3 was where it really got obvious how much was just waffling on about nothing, and I genuinely felt like Sanderson was wasting my time, which is something I'm almost never experienced with an author.

It's sad because whilst his earlier books have some digressions, some repetition and some oddities, they're not just blather or waffle or meta-wank. It's a little horrifying to compare it to say Gene Wolfe's Book of The New Sun, which is also 1200-ish pages. I'm sure Sanderson would strongly agree that Wolfe is far better writer (he's weirdly humble for a man who can't be edited, which makes me think "Yes men" is the problem more than him), but even ignoring stuff like the quality of prose (incomparably higher with Wolfe), the sheer density of ideas, thoughts, and meaning in The Book of The New Sun is probably 50x (no joke) that of Stormlight 3.

 

[trappedslider]

This year I'm hooked on The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, the eco theme is seriously intense.

It was okay imo

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I think Sanderson have become too successful to edit. He either doesn't listen/trust his editors or they don't dare too much and/or are yes-men. Because these weaknesses are common critique of his books a lot of people seen this, every experienced editor has seen these weaknesses, I am 100% sure of that.

See also Robert Jordan and GRRM. Though, if I recall correctly, the Wheel of Time was edited by Robert Jordan's wife. But though there are great things about that series, it needed some serious pruning.

I decided to go back to my childhood and re-read the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. I had forgotten how formative they were about my concept of fantasy. I finished Colour of Magic and Light fantastic and now onto Equal Rites which is so funny and provocative. It also introduces Granny Esmeralda Weatherwax one of the best characters in any fantasy series.

Though you can say this about a lot of Discworld's characters, Granny Weatherwax feels particularly real. And oh so very wise.

 

[SkidAce]

To Turn Back Time, by S.M. Stirling. This is practically perfect nerd-nip. Four American grad students and a professor, all specialists in Roman history, are zapped without preparation from a slightly alternate 2032 to the spot that will become Vienna but in AD 165 is Roman frontier. They also have a literal ton of supplies, but the local who recruited them died in transit - they left literally the same second a fusion bomb went off over Vienna as part of a global thermonuclear war breaking out. So here they are.

What’s great is that they are all nerds. They read Lest Darkness Falls when younger; they’ve seen Gladiator and Conan movies from a 2029 adaptation of Stirling’s Blood of the Serpent back to Arnie’s movie take. They have good values and make sensible plans, and run into interesting complications and failures. They find the past in accordance with a bunch of cool scholarship, and fun differences between the realities and the best guesses. This is a book about my people and I am glad. It’s the first of a trilogy and I expect to enjoy them all.

To Turn the Tide?

 

[Autumnal]

To Turn the Tide?

Oops. Yes.

 

[SkidAce]

Oops. Yes.

Thanks, just ordered a copy. Looks good.

 

[TheSword]

Though you can say this about a lot of Discworld's characters, Granny Weatherwax feels particularly real. And oh so very wise.

Yeah. So wise. A lot of that comes from Pratchett who had a way of seeing the work in an extremely practical but funny way.

A quote from Equal Rites I just read…

“She was already learning that if you ignore the rules people will, half the time, quietly rewrite them so that they don't apply to you,"

So true.