[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 06 November 2013 - 05:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 06 November 2013 - 03:26 PM, said:

i'm blanking but aren't the Druss and Drenai books set in the same world?

The Druss books are Drenai books.

exactly, but while all Druss books are Drenai books, not all Drenai books are Druss books, iirc. WINTER WARRIORS and KING BEYOND THE GATE by example.

[polishgenius]

There's 11 books in the Drenai series - only three of them are Druss books, plus one guest appearance.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

227. Thief Of Lives by Barb & J. C. Hendee - Book 2 in the Dhampir series. I was enamoured with the first book, but I'm on the fence about this one. Basically this was about fighting the surviving bad guy from the previous book. This "baddie of the week" storyline made it feel like a filler episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not much story arc movement. I will probably continue the series, but I'm not rushing out to buy #3.

228. Keep Of Fire by Mark Anthony - In contrast to the above, I am still enamoured with The Last Rune series. Nothing earth-shattering here, just a fun fantasy romp with likeable protagonists and god-wannabe bad guys.

229. Emissary by Fiona McIntosh - Book 2 of the Percheron saga. Dwarf jester Pez counsels his young ruler, the Zar Boaz, and continues his mission to find and save a reincarnated goddess from the demon Maliz.

230. Wolfblade by Jennifer Fallon - I wasn't expecting much after the mediocre Medalon, but wow this was good. Nothing terribly unique here, but just very well done. This is the start of a prequel trilogy to the Medalon series, taking place in a different kingdom in the same world. Dwarf counselour Elezaar (yes that old chestnut again) helps the princess Marla Wolfblade survive various political machinations. It was hard for me to not picture Tyrion and Sansa the whole time I was reading this. Anyway, highly recommended. Loaded with interesting characters and nice twists and turns in the plot. Hard to put down.

231. The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan - Another "princess in danger" storyline, this time YA, but it didn't capture my interest...

232. Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry - Nonfiction, heavy on both forensics and the history/culture of zombie media. Recommended to all zombie aficionados.

233. Beach Safari graphic novel by Markus Mawil Witzel - Cute/funny comic about a surfer girl and her rabbit acquaintance she meets on the beach.

234. Stormwatch Volume One graphic novel by Warren Ellis - Probably won't continue this particular series, but it was definitely interesting enough to make me look forward to reading more Ellis and hopefully finding something that wows me. Next up, Global Frequency.

235. JLA: Omega graphic novel by James Robinson - I like these multiverse stories, but I think Crisis On Infinite Earths will always be my favorite. This one alluded back to various Lantern storylines, which I missed. Anyone care to advise me on which Black/Red/etc. Lantern TPBs are worth reading?

[Baco Xtath]

Kruppe, on 02 November 2013 - 07:12 PM, said:

204. Magic Time by Marc Scott Zicree and Barbara Hambly - First in a trilogy. Compared both favorably and unfavorably to The Stand, and I can kind of see how this could be viewed as sort of a low-rent version of that. I just couldn't get into it...

205. Unlovable graphic novel by Esther Pearl Watson - Illustrated diary based on an actual found diary of that girl we all went to high school with. You know, the one whose "friends" didn't even like her but she was completely oblivious to it. Funny, in a cringeworthy way...

206. 50 short science fiction tales edited by Isaac Asimov and Griff Conklin - A selection of sci fi stories with supposedly witty or "twist" endings. The problem with 50-60 year old stories, I've noticed, is they tend to be very dry and unexciting. No exception here. For wittier selections, see Microcosmic Tales, also edited by Asimov.

207. Star Wars Vs. Star Trek by Matt Forbeck - Pits various characters against each other. Didn't always agree with the results. A circa-clone-wars, angry Anakin Skywalker loses to Benjamin Sisko? Don't think so... Plenty of entertainment value here, though. Well worth the $4 or whatever I paid for it.

208. John Dies @ the End by David Wong - I understand how some people could be entertained by this, but it was way too trippy for my taste.

209. Platinum Grit graphic novel by Trudy Cooper and Danny Murphy - Also very trippy.

210. Beanworld: Wahoolazuma! graphic novel by Larry Marder - Yet more trippiness that I didn't really get. Where am I finding this stuff?

Kruppe, on 03 November 2013 - 07:20 PM, said:

211. Badass: The Birth Of A Legend by Ben Thompson - Tongue-in-cheek retellings of various mythical or fictional characters such as Anubis and Skeletor. Genuinely entertaining in parts, although the sounds-like-it-was-written-by-a-precocious-potty-mouthed-12-year-old-boy voice gets old fast.

212. Dang! comics by Martin Cendreda - Very small, weird, and funny GN, centered around a dog with no pants.

213./214. Emily the Strange graphic novels volumes 2 & 3 by Rob Reger - Comics about the world's weirdest 13 year old goth girl.

215. DV8: Gods And Monsters graphic novel by Brian Wood and Rebekah Isaacs - Part of DC's Gen-active series. I usually prefer DC to Marvel, but in the case of Gen13 and the like, the characters are just X-Men wannabes.

216. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange - I've come to the conclusion that one will only enjoy these mash-up books if you enjoyed the original work(s) they're based on. Has David Copperfield, Zombie Stabber been written yet?

217. Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden - Decent horror-ish novel. I've not really been much of a fan of Golden's books, although The Lost Slayer (Buffy tie-in) was pure genius.

218. We Kill Monsters graphic novel by Christopher Leone - Think Supernatural, except more blue collar, and one of the brothers has a monster arm.

Kruppe, on 05 November 2013 - 06:28 PM, said:

219. Empire: A Zombie Novel by David Dunwoody - Death is a character, so that's a cool twist. But ultimately this has too many POVs and not enough reasons to be interested in any of the other characters.

220. Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl - Like Empire, this is a Permuted Press horror novel. Yet, without the failings I mentioned above. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

221. Cinema Panopticum graphic novel by Thomas Ott - Girl at carnival spends her pennies on the only thing she can afford, coin-operated machines showing silent films. Told entirely in pictures. Brilliant. Reminiscent of Brian Selznick's stuff (e.g. The Invention of Hugo Cabret), except no text whatsoever.

222. Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki graphic novel by Jim Zubkavich - I'm too lazy to be a gamer, but I tend to enjoy the more passive hobbies (books, movies) based on video games. Cute art, almost like reading a cartoon.

223. Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines - Yep, finally read this one. Thought it was great, but would have been even better if it was partially illustrated, like Malice by Chris Wooding or A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King (the latter of which I have yet to read, but is coming up soon in my to-read pile).

224. Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show edited by OSC and Edmund R. Schubert - Better than average sci-fi anthology. Of course, the Ender universe stories were my favorites.

225. Who Can Save Us Now? edited by Owen King and John McNally - Another decent anthology, this time about superheroes. Although, oddly, the best stories seemed to be the ones that strayed furthest from the topic.

226. The Yanti by Christopher Pike - Good third book in the Alosha series. Now waiting on #4, seven years late and counting...

Kruppe, on 06 November 2013 - 10:07 PM, said:

227. Thief Of Lives by Barb & J. C. Hendee - Book 2 in the Dhampir series. I was enamoured with the first book, but I'm on the fence about this one. Basically this was about fighting the surviving bad guy from the previous book. This "baddie of the week" storyline made it feel like a filler episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not much story arc movement. I will probably continue the series, but I'm not rushing out to buy #3.

228. Keep Of Fire by Mark Anthony - In contrast to the above, I am still enamoured with The Last Rune series. Nothing earth-shattering here, just a fun fantasy romp with likeable protagonists and god-wannabe bad guys.

229. Emissary by Fiona McIntosh - Book 2 of the Percheron saga. Dwarf jester Pez counsels his young ruler, the Zar Boaz, and continues his mission to find and save a reincarnated goddess from the demon Maliz.

230. Wolfblade by Jennifer Fallon - I wasn't expecting much after the mediocre Medalon, but wow this was good. Nothing terribly unique here, but just very well done. This is the start of a prequel trilogy to the Medalon series, taking place in a different kingdom in the same world. Dwarf counselour Elezaar (yes that old chestnut again) helps the princess Marla Wolfblade survive various political machinations. It was hard for me to not picture Tyrion and Sansa the whole time I was reading this. Anyway, highly recommended. Loaded with interesting characters and nice twists and turns in the plot. Hard to put down.

231. The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan - Another "princess in danger" storyline, this time YA, but it didn't capture my interest...

232. Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry - Nonfiction, heavy on both forensics and the history/culture of zombie media. Recommended to all zombie aficionados.

233. Beach Safari graphic novel by Markus Mawil Witzel - Cute/funny comic about a surfer girl and her rabbit acquaintance she meets on the beach.

234. Stormwatch Volume One graphic novel by Warren Ellis - Probably won't continue this particular series, but it was definitely interesting enough to make me look forward to reading more Ellis and hopefully finding something that wows me. Next up, Global Frequency.

235. JLA: Omega graphic novel by James Robinson - I like these multiverse stories, but I think Crisis On Infinite Earths will always be my favorite. This one alluded back to various Lantern storylines, which I missed. Anyone care to advise me on which Black/Red/etc. Lantern TPBs are worth reading?

31 books in 4 days. Good God, man. Dous thou leave thy room?

[Traveller]

Morgoth, on 05 November 2013 - 06:56 PM, said:

So I just finished ex-heroes, having bought it on the advice of seemingly half the board...

I've now purchased the next three.

You guys are all awesome.

Ha, I did just the same. Read them all non stop and enjoyed every moment.

I'm (still) reading Blood Song. And although I've made it over half way, I'm pretty bored with it. There's just nothing new here... and it's really lacking in any humour whatsoever.

It's turning into one of those books where I'd kind of like to see where it goes, without actually having to read any more.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 07 November 2013 - 10:29 PM

[JPK]

Abyss, on 06 November 2013 - 07:53 PM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 06 November 2013 - 05:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 06 November 2013 - 03:26 PM, said:

i'm blanking but aren't the Druss and Drenai books set in the same world?

The Druss books are Drenai books.

exactly, but while all Druss books are Drenai books, not all Drenai books are Druss books, iirc. WINTER WARRIORS and KING BEYOND THE GATE by example.

That's good to know. Drenai it is.

[Salt-Man Z]

Finished Patrick Lee's Runner last night. I initially thought it started a little rough, but in hindsight I think that had more to do with me being in the middle of a Donaldson book at the time. Ex-military man saves telepathic girl with amnesia on the run from bad guys. Nigh-unputdownable. Not as "Wow, cool!" as the Breach books, but still relentless and twisty, with a nice emotional impact as well. Due out in Feb 2014.

[T77]

Finished a few things recently. Fatal Revenant, book 8 of Donaldson's Covenant series. As some suggested recently, this one does pick up the pace from the previous book. But, while I like this series, I don't love it and find it hard to continue sometimes. Not sure why. I think someone here recently mentioned Erikson ruining other fantasy by raising the bar so high and I think I have to agree. The only other authors in Erikson's league are Glen Cook (who influenced SE) and Gene Wolfe.

Also, finished A Crown of Swords by Jordan. I mentioned that the previous book was too long and I guess Jordan felt this way too as it was much shorter. While I enjoyed it there were some slow parts to bring it down a bit.

[Baco Xtath]

Just finished Blood Song (audiobook) about an hour ago and I have to say that this is probably my favorite fantasy listen/read of the year save Caine's Law. Really great stuff and I suggest everyone check it out.

[QuickTidal]

Baco Xtath, on 07 November 2013 - 07:43 PM, said:

Just finished Blood Song (audiobook) about an hour ago and I have to say that this is probably my favorite fantasy listen/read of the year save Caine's Law. Really great stuff and I suggest everyone check it out.

Told ya!

It's brilliant. glad you enjoyed it so much!

[Coco with marshmallows]

Emperor of all things.

So far quite enjoyable

[worry]

Sounds like a lot of responsibility.

[Traveller]

Baco Xtath, on 07 November 2013 - 07:43 PM, said:

Just finished Blood Song (audiobook) about an hour ago and I have to say that this is probably my favorite fantasy listen/read of the year save Caine's Law. Really great stuff and I suggest everyone check it out.

Weird, I'm about 3/4 through and I'm finding it a bit of a trudge. It just reads like an account of events... there's none of the dark humour of the sort that makes Abercrombie and Stover so enjoyable to read; and no complexity or real intrigue, or anything new really.

On the verge of giving it up, to be honest, I just have no interest in the main character.

[dietl]

Finished th following Lovecraft short stories: The Tomb, Dagon, Polaris,The Statement of Randolph Carter, From Beyond, The Picture in the House, The Outsider, The Horror at Red Hook, The Call of Cthulhu, Pickman's Model, The Colour Out of Space and The Shadow Out of Time (maybe I forgot some). I liked them a lot and it's nice how Lovecraft uses the myth he creates to accomplish this strange feeling in his stories. Did I miss any must-reads for Lovecraft fans? I picked some based on recommendations from somewhere else.

Started Dostoyevsky's The Idiot today and for far so good (seems to me like he's a better writer than Tolstoy from the few that I read by them).

[Baco Xtath]

Traveller, on 07 November 2013 - 10:37 PM, said:

Baco Xtath, on 07 November 2013 - 07:43 PM, said:

Just finished Blood Song (audiobook) about an hour ago and I have to say that this is probably my favorite fantasy listen/read of the year save Caine's Law. Really great stuff and I suggest everyone check it out.

Weird, I'm about 3/4 through and I'm finding it a bit of a trudge. It just reads like an account of events... there's none of the dark humour of the sort that makes Abercrombie and Stover so enjoyable to read; and no complexity or real intrigue, or anything new really.

On the verge of giving it up, to be honest, I just have no interest in the main character.

Everyone's tastes differ. Some people can't stand Malazan yet praise the Warded Man, Sword of Truth and stuff I couldn't stomach at all. I found Blood Song to be a more mature version of Name of the Wind and a much more likable main character - though the prose isn't as poetic, it was by no means bad.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

Baco Xtath, on 06 November 2013 - 10:12 PM, said:

31 books in 4 days. Good God, man. Dous thou leave thy room?

Ha! No... Pay no attention to my ridiculously irregular posting schedule. The stack of books had been building up since I last posted and I just didn't want to spam this thread with everything in one post. As you can see from the numbering, I'm actually averaging about three quarters of a book per day.

[Salt-Man Z]

dietl, on 07 November 2013 - 11:10 PM, said:

Did I miss any must-reads for Lovecraft fans?

Off the top of my head:

At the Mountains of Madness
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Rats in the Walls
The Dunwich Horror
The Music of Erich Zann

Really, if you like his stuff, track down as much of it as you can. Even some of his collaborations are great: Within the Walls of Eryx and The Curse of Yig, for two.

[Grief]

To add to Salt-Man's post, Dreams in the Witch House is probably my favourite Lovecraft, though I find him very hit or miss (well, honestly mostly miss), that one is great.

[polishgenius]

Baco Xtath, on 07 November 2013 - 11:27 PM, said:

I found Blood Song to be a more mature version of Name of the Wind

I get why some people might like Blood Song more than NotW (crazy people, but still) but I really don't see the mature thing...

[Morgoth]

So I just started Women by Bukowski. I am amused but disturbed so far, which is what always happens with his books it seems.