What are you reading [Jun 2017]?

Elodan · Jun 1, 2017

Another month, another thread. Going to catch up with what I read since I last posted,

I read Bound by Benedict Jacka (the 8th Alex Verus novel). Another good read. While there's a lot happening, it sometimes feels like the story isn't moving forward. These is supposed to be the penultimate book in the series, and it feels like there's two or three more novels worth of materials to go.

I also finished Lord of the Fire Lands by Dave Duncan. Decent fantasy in the King's Blades series.

I'm currently about half way through Silent Hall by NS Dolkart. It sort of feels like a sandbox D&D campaign where the characters are just going from place to place with no real central story. There's a fair amount of exposition about the gods of the setting (it is the first book in the Godserfs series). Decent writing but I feel like I could put the book down, never read it again, and wouldn't care what happens to the characters.

Comics
I read Marvel's Star Wars: Han Solo trade. I thought this was an excellent read. Felt like it kept true to the character and Han's growth during the original trilogy.

I also took my birthday money and bought a lot of DC's rebirth titles.

Action Comics Vol 1 - Path of Doom. The issue is essentially one big fight but there's also a pretty good story mixed in. Going to pick up the next volume.
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corp Vol 1 - Sinestro's Law. Deals with the return of the Green Lantern Corps (Hal, John, Guy) and sets up another fight with the Sinestro Corps. Does feel like it's treading over the same ground but I will be picking up the next one.
Wonder Woman Vol 1 - The Lies. It addresses the various origin stories and lives of Wonder Woman and the central issue is that Diana doesn't know which ones are true. There's a big bad who's really not a factor in the story and is defeated rather off-handily. Good enough to pick up Vol 2.
Detective Comics Vol 1 - Rise of the Batman. Decent story but like Batman Vol 1 - I am Batman it didn't really grab me. Won't be picking the next one up. Will be grabbing Batman Beyond Vol 1.
Justice League Vol 1 - The Extinction Machines. Decent story. Not sure about picking up the next one yet.

Kramodlog · Jun 1, 2017

The Forever War.

Jhaelen · Jun 2, 2017

Right now, I'm reading 'Beyond the Rim', an adventure module for FFG's 'Edge of the Empire' Star Wars RPG. It's the first official adventure module I bought, trying to decide if they're worth it.
So far I like the additional setting and background info it contains, but the adventure itself seem to be fairly generic, i.e. nothing I couldn't come up with myself.

megamania · Jun 2, 2017

Started King's Wizard and the Glass (part 4 of Dark Tower).

Makes me want to do more of my DnD world of Jenner's World.

Zaukrie · Jun 2, 2017

Just finished Norse mythology by Gaiman. It was fine. Not sure what I was expecting.

Started the 13th Age rulebook. It appears to be there game I should be playing.

Also working thru the classic D&D comics. Seem pretty light on content.

Not sure what fiction is next.

Blue · Jun 2, 2017

Elodan said:
I read Bound by Benedict Jacka (the 8th Alex Verus novel). Another good read. While there's a lot happening, it sometimes feels like the story isn't moving forward. These is supposed to be the penultimate book in the series, and it feels like there's two or three more novels worth of materials to go.

I read Bound just recently and enjoyed it - I think the last two delivered a good "buy the next book now" ending without compromising the rest of the book that works well in a series.

That said, I never would have guessed this to the the last-book-but-one. At the pace they have been going, this is just getting into the thick of it. Now they are poised for bigger issue, and but they need to have a grand I-been-manipulated-by-Richard book ending before they close up the series.

I'm with you I would expect, at minimum, 2-3 more books in the series.

That's ... somewhat disappointing to know.

Blue · Jun 2, 2017

So, with my large to-be-read pile staring at me, I made a left at Albuquerque and am four books and a short story into an entirely different series.

I think it was an announcement here about the tie-in RPG that made me look at Wearing the Cape by Marion Harmon. I haven't read superhero fiction in forever, never been one of my genres. I think The Legion of Nothing web serial was the last I got into, but I didn't even read Wildcards. (Should I?)

Anyway, it had lots of review, and lots of good reviews. It wasn't out in Mass Market Paperback, only trade paperback and kindle. I was about to head out and needed a transportable book (which the single-bound The Inheritance Trilogy I'm also reading is NOT). So I bought the kindle version.

And then the next book.

And then the third book.

And then backtracked to buy the short-story between books two and three.

And now I bought the last book.

I *still* have no idea why these are such a draw, but they have me laughing out loud a lot which is likely related. The writing is good, but no fantastic word-crafting. Dialog is snappy and witty, I enjoy that. Good job making the PoV character very emphasizable. Plots are decent, they don't telegraph the twists too much. (Though the first book could have used a little more build up for the end.) But they're just fun. And there is a good amount of deconstruction of the superhero concept that the author has faithfully reflected in the worldbuilding.

I wouldn't rate them as great works of literature, but I will go out and buy them one after another because I enjoy reading them.

Blue · Jun 2, 2017

Zaukrie said:
Started the 13th Age rulebook. It appears to be there game I should be playing.

I'm a really big fan of 13th Age, been running it since it came out. While Morrus was excellent in hosting the 13th Age SRD, the 13th Age discussion is fairly light here. G+ has a more active community if you want. https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105266185948211782098

Elodan · Jun 3, 2017

Blue said:
...
I think The Legion of Nothing web serial was the last I got into, but I didn't even read Wildcards. (Should I?)
...

I read the first 5 - 7 Wild Cards books when they first came out. I remember liking them a fair amount (of course this was like 20 years ago). Like all anthologies the stories are uneven and I think I felt things were getting repetitive with the last couple of books.