What are you reading in 2025?

[Mannahnin]

JS & MN is also one of the best TV adaptations I've ever seen. Though that's a different pleasure.

 

[Parmandur]

The quality of the prose is one of the reasons I love Tolkien, Vance, Wolfe and Stephenson.

If I derived anywhere near that pleasure from Jordan's, no doubt I would have made the time! I guess I envy you in that.

Check out the audio book preview, they do bring the text to life, and the books are very much worth the time.

 

[gnarlygninja]

A great example of how subjective tastes in art can be.

I first sampled Jordon's WoT in a novella included in the 1998 Legends anthology, and it was enough to convince me that his writing was a waste of my time. I've really loved some long works, though, including LotR, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and the entire 20 book series of Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin tales (though most of the individual installments are of short to moderate length). I've read Neil Stephenson's Baroque Cycle twice, and I've lost track of how many times I've read his Cryptonomicon. But length like that is IME infrequently necessary or justified.

He is also, to my mind, maybe the worst author to bring up defending extremely long books, considering even his fans usually acknowledge "The Slog" and just argue about how many books long it is. I honestly can not think of a single author who needed an editor they weren't married to more than him.

 

[Thomas Shey]

He is also, to my mind, maybe the worst author to bring up defending extremely long books, considering even his fans usually acknowledge "The Slog" and just argue about how many books long it is. I honestly can not think of a single author who needed an editor they weren't married to more than him.

Stephan King.

 

[gnarlygninja]

Stephan King.

I don't think he was ever married to cocaine

 

[prabe]

Stephan King.

Your point that King needs to hear "no" from his editor/s more often isn't even close to wrong, but it's not because Tabby is editing him. She's long been the first person to read his novels, but A) that's a different thing and B) she pulled Carrie out of the trash can.

 

[prabe]

I don't think he was ever married to cocaine

Also this.

 

[Nellisir]

I'm also a person who has packed for a two-week vacation by putting ten big books in a second suitcase ...

But what about week two?

 

[prabe]

But what about week two?

The vacation had the days kinda packed full of doing things (and those things were why I was on the vacation). I had a reasonable sense of how much free time I was going to have.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

He is also, to my mind, maybe the worst author to bring up defending extremely long books, considering even his fans usually acknowledge "The Slog" and just argue about how many books long it is. I honestly can not think of a single author who needed an editor they weren't married to more than him.

Absolutely. It made me sad as I read Wheel of Time. I could see the Slog dragging on and on, and then when he picked up speed again, racing against time and his health issues. And ultimately not winning that race.