[Ukjent]

Finished Leviathan Wakes last night, and well, i loved it. Just to bad I can't find the rest of the books in store. The downside of being home on vacation

[QuickTidal]

 Mentalist, on 06 July 2013 - 04:29 AM, said:

Next up, I have many choices (again). I think I might crack open that 3-pack of the first Culture books, and give "Consider Phlebias" a read.

If it helps, I read PLAYER OF GAMES first for my Culture fix...and didn't read CONSIDER PHLEBAS till afterwards. The second book being a slightly easier intro to the universe.

My next Banks will be EXCESSION. Can't wait to get into that one!

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

 QuickTidal, on 06 July 2013 - 01:42 PM, said:

 Mentalist, on 06 July 2013 - 04:29 AM, said:

Next up, I have many choices (again). I think I might crack open that 3-pack of the first Culture books, and give "Consider Phlebias" a read.

If it helps, I read PLAYER OF GAMES first for my Culture fix...and didn't read CONSIDER PHLEBAS till afterwards. The second book being a slightly easier intro to the universe.

My next Banks will be EXCESSION. Can't wait to get into that one!

I don't think it makes a lot of difference, to be honest. Each of Banks' books are standalone and could be read in any order you like. I recall reading all of the M novels in publication order, except Consider Phlebas, as I didn't own it, which I read after Inversions (the lastest book at the time).

The only thing that you'll specifically benefit from by reading Consider Phlebas first is a better understanding of a handful of references, during other novels, to the time-period that it's set in.

It is a great book, though.

[polishgenius]

 Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast, on 06 July 2013 - 04:18 PM, said:

I don't think it makes a lot of difference, to be honest. Each of Banks' books are standalone and could be read in any order you like.

I think there are a few matched pairs that should be read in their respective order - Consider Phlebas before Look to Windward, Use of Weapons before Surface Detail and Excession before The Hydrogen Sonata, specifically. There's a bit of thematic linkage and some references between each of those that make it best to read the first one first.

Other than that, though, it really doesn't matter a great deal.

[Mentalist]

Well, I have the first 3 books--they were sold together as a "25 years of Culture" promotion, in a nice boxed set. SO I'll start at the beginning, since I have the first 3 anyhow.

[Slow Ben]

Finally getting a chance to dig into Blood and Bone. Only a out 100 pages in so far.

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

 Mentalist, on 06 July 2013 - 07:43 PM, said:

Well, I have the first 3 books--they were sold together as a "25 years of Culture" promotion, in a nice boxed set. SO I'll start at the beginning, since I have the first 3 anyhow.

Now all you need is the other 26...

[Abyss]

 Tiste Simeon, on 06 July 2013 - 07:30 AM, said:

 Salt-Man Z, on 05 July 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:

No Stover? I am disappoint. >:|

Ah. Will fit that in somewhere. See how long it takes me to read Kovacs!

Kovacs. Then Caine.

That's going to seriously fuck all kinds of your shit up.

 Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast, on 06 July 2013 - 12:28 PM, said:

...
Want to pick up some more Mieville, too, at some point.

KRAKEN! KRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAsquidKKEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNN!

 Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast, on 06 July 2013 - 04:18 PM, said:

...
I don't think it makes a lot of difference, to be honest. Each of Banks' books are standalone and could be read in any order you like...

i started with USE OF WEAPONS and loved it, no issues, for what its worth.


Finished RIYRIA bk 4... Sullivan really raised his game with this book and i'm all kinds of psyched for 5 and 6.

Was going to jump into Hearn's HUNTED first...

...but was drawn back to the MAD SCIENTIST'S GUIDE TO WORLD DOMINATION anthology and oh my fuck this is great great stuff. Seriously, this may be the bestest multi-author anthology i've ever read. MILD SPOILERS STORY OUTLINES JUST TO GIVE YOU A TASTE, NOTHING TRULY SPOILED

Spoiler

imagine Lex Luthor put the specs for his entire anti-Superman arsenal out on the internet. Imagine what a Mad Scientist Psychiatrist could do. Imagine your father-in-law dabbles in long distance mutation rays.

. 1/2 way thru and this is a great laugh out loud funny read with some genuinely clever well written stuff.

[yuna_anomander25]

100+ pages in The Heroes, but i'm having a hard time getting to like this one, after Best Served Cold, which i loved, i'm getting cold on this one, there's no one for me to like in this one, and since this one have Bayaz in it, i'm not keen on this and Shivers, who was one of my favorites in BSC, isn't much of a character here,,

so, i decided to read another, with Richard Morgan's Broken Angels, 5 chapters in, and it's getting interesting, maybe i'll finish this then will continue with the Heroes,,

yah, i'll agree with the Stover/Morgan combination, i did it with Heroes Die/Altered Carbon, which gives me the idea, maybe after Broken Angels, i'll read Blade of Tyshalle, which i have on my phone as an epub (still would like to have a hard copy)

eta: forgot to mention, i also started my re-read of House of Chains, continuing with book 2: Cold Iron, after i read book 1, in the suggested reading order as per time line,,

This post has been edited by yuna_anomander25: 07 July 2013 - 06:27 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

Am reading Altered Carbon. Am already enjoying it a lot, so thanks for the reccomends chaps!
I guess once I've finished this trilogy I'll read Matthew Nicompooping Stovers Mother Plopping Act of Caine books.

Edited for more vile cursing.

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 07 July 2013 - 07:06 AM

[JPK]

Welp, that's the end of The Tyrant's Law. Some very VERY interesting bits at the end of that book. I suspect the wait for The Widow's House is going to feel like a very very long time (even if Abraham is almost as much as a writing robot as Sanderson)

Spoiler

seriously though, Inys! A living dragon brought back AND the spiders were a weapon of Morades! I'll admit that I expected to see a dragon awaken, but that bit with the spiders surprised me. Also waiting to see the Drowned play a bigger part. I suspect he is saving them for something awesome.

Onwards to Fatal Revenant.

[Ukjent]

Its going to be awesome!.

Done with Old man's war and it was enjoyable. If I stumble upon more of the authors books, I'm buying it.

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

20 pages into Consider Phlebas, again.

It's kind of like getting to sleep in your own bed again after being away.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss made me realize my Hearne reading is behind, so I'm about to start HAMMMERED on my Kindle.

[Abyss]

 Abyss, on 07 July 2013 - 01:55 AM, said:

...

...but was drawn back to the MAD SCIENTIST'S GUIDE TO WORLD DOMINATION anthology and oh my fuck this is great great stuff. ...1/2 way thru and this is a great laugh out loud funny read with some genuinely clever well written stuff.

Going to add that i pretty much despised Dan Wilson's ROBOPOCALYPSE but his entry into the collection, titled THE EXECUTOR, impressed me enough in 20 ish pages to make me consider picking up his next book AMPED.

[Mentalist]

Finished Consider Phlebas . Quite good. Good mix of big scale and personal stories. The "where are they now" Dramatis Personae section was a nice touch.

Next up, probably gonna read "The warhound and the World's Pain" my Moorcock--the first in the Von Bek part of the Eternal Champion sequence.

[Overactive Imagination]

Only a couple hundred pages left in The Darkness That Comes Before... and it's still fucking awesome. Loved every page of it so far.

Probably going to read Blood and Bone or the 5th Dresden book next.

[Abyss]

 Overactive Imagination, on 08 July 2013 - 04:51 AM, said:

Only a couple hundred pages left in The Darkness That Comes Before... and it's still fucking awesome. Loved every page of it so far...

Great but did you find any of it funny?

[Morgoth]

 Mentalist, on 08 July 2013 - 03:00 AM, said:

Finished Consider Phlebas . Quite good. Good mix of big scale and personal stories. The "where are they now" Dramatis Personae section was a nice touch.

Next up, probably gonna read "The warhound and the World's Pain" my Moorcock--the first in the Von Bek part of the Eternal Champion sequence.

Bad Ment. Read Player of Games and Use of Weapons right away. It's the only way.


I'm reading River of Stars by G.G.Kay, and it's another beautiful read. I simply love Kay's style, and his prose is perfect. Subtle, lyrical and.. well, perfect. He writes tragedies so well, and every page, every story is both sweet and bitter in equal amounts (more or less). There are happy endings, though often not where you'd expect to find them, and tragedies, though in unexpected places.

[Overactive Imagination]

 Abyss, on 08 July 2013 - 05:40 AM, said:

 Overactive Imagination, on 08 July 2013 - 04:51 AM, said:

Only a couple hundred pages left in The Darkness That Comes Before... and it's still fucking awesome. Loved every page of it so far...

Great but did you find any of it funny?

Yup!