What are you reading in 2025?

[Eyes of Nine]

I just binged all of the Lynley TV seasons the last two weeks. After they fade a bit in my memory I think I will try the books. The TV version of Havers is currently my favorite DS across all the Britboxing I've done.

For reading, I need to get to all of those you mentioned still.

She's a great character in the novels too. Her story has been pretty heartbreaking so far; but with glimmers of hope. I mean, if she stopped being grumpy and awkward around Lynley's patrician self, she'd stop being interesting of course. I also like that there is very little/no 'shipping hope between Havers and Lynley; unlike in Crombie's novels and Galbraith/Rowling's Strike/Ellacot where it's very much a "when will they" not a "will they".

 

[Retros_x]

Just for fun, this is a brief interview that Jordan gave explaining what he was doing with the Wheel of Time that is included with the audiobooks:

Really interesting snippet and I think I can see hints of these already in the first book.

I am right now in the Caemlyn chapters of the first book, and I really hope this "Ta'veren" concept gets explored further, because right now it just seems to be a plot device to explain how all these improbable events happen around the protagonist. There is a lot of suspension of disbelief relying on "the weaaaave" in the first book. At least it gets acknowledged by Jordan, but if it stays like this its a bit lazy plotting IMO.

Anyway the gang is united again, although the stressful journey left some marks upon most characters. What I really like is the feeling of journey and events happening, because already the beginning of the book in the two River feels so far away. Jordan encapsulates really well this feeling of "the journey" and tbh its the first time since reading LOTR I had this done so well in a fantasy novel. The journey is not just a short montage, the journey is the story.

 

[The Attic]

What am I reading in 2025? While there's not much of the year left I'm currently delving into:

Outside the Box: How Sweden Conquered the World of Role-Playing Games by @Maggan


Quote is not by the author. Personally I like 1980s' D&D.

 

[Maggan]

Quote is not by the author. Personally I like 1980s' D&D.

Cool! I love D&D, and grew up with the BECMI rules! Hope you are enjoying the read!

Cheers!

 

[Parmandur]

I really hope this "Ta'veren" concept gets explored further

Be careful what you wish for...

because right now it just seems to be a plot device to explain how all these improbable events happen around the protagonist

It is definitely lampshading that, but it gets weirder, and he does use it as a tool to explore the trauma being "special" puts on people.

Anyway the gang is united again, although the stressful journey left some marks upon most characters. What I really like is the feeling of journey and events happening, because already the beginning of the book in the two River feels so far away. Jordan encapsulates really well this feeling of "the journey" and tbh its the first time since reading LOTR I had this done so well in a fantasy novel. The journey is not just a short montage, the journey is the story.

Exactly this, the influence of piccaresque literature on Jordan is pretty huge. A large part of criticisms of his style do book down to folks who want the next bulleted plot point getting frustrated with the journey aspect. Another thing he does well is trauma. What happened to Perrin, especially, is going to haunt him for the rest of the series in a very realistic PTSD way, and sets up his central ethical conflict.

 

[The Attic]

Cool! I love D&D, and grew up with the BECMI rules! Hope you are enjoying the read!

Cheers!

Thank you. I am.

It's very well written and is providing a wonderfully different view outside of the usual US-centric perspective.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Finished Wintersmith, which was a really wonderful Tiffany Aching novel, maybe Pratchett's best, and a very seasonal book. Strongly recommended.

Wintersmith is an exceptional book. The Aching series sneaks in just as much depth and insightful commentary on human existence as the main Discworld series.

I've read the first two books in the Florin and Lorenzo series and am about to start the third.

They're set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and the protagonists are the dashing rogue (or at least that's how he thinks of himself) Florin and his long-suffering sarcastic manservant Lorenzo as they go on adventures for purely monetary reasons.

They're a lot of fun and showcase the stranger species in Warhammer. The first one deals with Lizardmen, the second with Ogres. The second is particularly hilarious because Florin and Lorenzo keep assuming the Ogres are big stupid brutes and keep getting humiliated as a result. The tagline is "The feral fury of the ogres is unleashed!" but it's more like "The amusement and mild exasperation of the ogres is unleashed" until you get to the final battle.

I like how Warhammer's stuck to keeping nonhuman species as being inhuman instead of turning them into differently-shaped humans. The Florin and Lorenzo novels are at least 50% xenofiction and it's great.

Warhammer Fantasy fiction, while not uniformly great, generally set a higher bar than D&D fiction.

 

[Retros_x]

Exactly this, the influence of pucsrfesque literature on Jordan is pretty huge. A large part of criticisms of his style do book down to folks who want the next bulletin plot point getting frustrated with the journey aspect.

Thats too bad, the journey aspect is so fun to me. Although I am surprised that the first book already introduces a "fast travel". I am always a bit annoyed when these system get introduced in novels, it feels a bit gamey. Although I thought that "the ways" were implemented in a cool way, they are dark and dangerous with an evil entity on the hunt. Also I might be crazy but

Spoiler

the descriptions of the ways sounded like modern asphalt roads to me?

but it gets weirder, and he does use it as a tool to explore the trauma being "special" puts on people.

What happened to Perrin, especially, is going to haunt him for the rest of the series in a very realistic PTSD way, and sets up his central ethical conflict.

I am really curios to see how he will handle that! Although I am bit wondering about Perrin if something more happened to him that will be revealed later? We switch POV after his and Egwenes capture and turn back only when they are rescued. He was roughened up a bit and obviously being captured by zealous religios fanatics (I love to hate them btw, great villainous faction) is enough to be traumatized but it seems relatively harmless to what else could happen in a fantasy world threatened by a dark overlord.

 

[Parmandur]

Thats too bad, the journey aspect is so fun to me. Although I am surprised that the first book already introduces a "fast travel". I am always a bit annoyed when these system get introduced in novels, it feels a bit gamey. Although I thought that "the ways" were implemented in a cool way, they are dark and dangerous with an evil entity on the hunt. Also I might be crazy but

When Jordan does fast travel, he makes it interesting and dwells on the different implications, using his nuclear physics background. It escalates on thst front, but fast travel introduces new logistical challenges as well as opportunities.

Spoiler: Age of Legends

And yeah, stuff grom the Age of Legends alternates between familiar and modern and high tech. This is basically our future.

I am really curios to see how he will handle that! Although I am bit wondering about Perrin if something more happened to him that will be revealed later? We switch POV after his and Egwenes capture and turn back only when they are rescued. He was roughened up a bit and obviously being captured by zealous religios fanatics (I love to hate them btw, great villainous faction) is enough to be traumatized but it seems relatively harmless to what else could happen in a fantasy world threatened by a dark overlord.

The thing that ultimately really messes Perrin up happened on screen, and it is subtle and took a while to sink in for me, but it defines his central ethical conflict of a desire for pacifism clashing with the utilitarian need gor violence he finds himself in:

Spoiler: Spoiler.

He killed two Whitecliaks, enemy combatants who were out to get him and his friends, but two human beings. Jordan uses this to dwell on his own experience killing other human beings, and PTSD.

 

[overgeeked]

Just finished Morbidly Curious. Absolutely held up from start to finish. Utterly fascinating book. If you're even remotely interested in or curious about horror, read this book. It's a quick read. Only 272 pages in print and it took me a little more than 5 hours to read as an ebook. It just took me awhile to put in that time because of the ADHD and constant distractions.

To the question of why some people are fans of horror. Read the book. About 70% of the text is providing various answers to that exact question. The short answer is: everything. Biology, psychology, evolution, society, etc. It's more accurate to say that a few people somehow aren't fans of horror or that some adults have grown out of their morbid curiosity.

There's also so much mythbusting about horror fans here that anyone interested in the genre should pick it up just to have as a reference to push back against all the negative stereotypes about horror fans. The author is a PhD psychologist who literally did the research. And he also extensively cites his sources. The last 30% of the book is notes with links to various papers used in the writing of the book. It's also well indexed.

And, while not directly related, it also offered some great insights into humans generally and why some things work the way they do. Why are bosses like that? Why does bad news travel faster? Etc.

If you're a horror writer or a horror referee this is also worth the read as it will offer some insights. It's not a how-to book by any stretch, but there's definitely stuff here worth mining.

I don't want to oversell the thing, but it's easily the best non-fiction book I've read in last few years.