[lastname]

Just finished White Night. Damn ... if that wasn't an explosive start to the year. On to Silverthorn next.

[Abyss]

Baco Xtath, on 31 December 2013 - 11:37 PM, said:

Studlock, on 31 December 2013 - 10:25 PM, said:

Finished Shriek: An Afterword. which was great and in-depth look into a sibling relationship...something I think SF could use more of. To often our heroes are singular entities without much, if any, family. Maybe my favourite book I've read this year to be honest. Read about 50 pages of Finch and is pretty amazing so far, I love the voice of the narrator and the weirdness of the grey caps. On a side note I'm really enjoying this 'New Weird' thing lately (yes I know I'm about 7 year late) and outside of China Mieville what other books classified as New Weird would you guys recommend? I've got the New Weird anthology/essay thing from Ann and Jeff VanderMeer but it's throwing a lot of information my way so I'd thought I'd go to a second source.

Most definitely Felix Gilman. Also try the Etched City by K.J. Bishop and her other works as well as all of Catherine Valente's works, M. John Harrison's stuff, Steph Swainston, and Hal Duncan (I've yet to read but hear thrown about a bit). Though not necessarily "New Weird" but definitely different, I'd recommend the Gone-Away World, Terminal World, Echo City, Something More than Night, and John Dies at the End (and sequel).

THE RAW SHARK DIARIES.
All kinds of weird.

[Ukjent]

Think I'll start reading Gailman's Stardust, anyone read it?

[Kaamos]

QuickTidal, on 27 December 2013 - 03:58 PM, said:

For Christmas I got the most interesting, unique, and compelling-as-fuck book!

It's called S and is written by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst.

Uuuuuuu this sounds so exciting! Aaah. Must. Get. I'm bookgasming all over the keyboard.

So would anyone mind explaining what this Brent Weeks ballyhoo is about? :-D Should I fall into a book-hoarding berserkergang or treat them like Twilight? Halp?

[QuickTidal]

Graablick, on 02 January 2014 - 09:10 AM, said:

Think I'll start reading Gailman's Stardust, anyone read it?

Yep. IMNSHO it's his best work. I love every page.

Kaamos, on 02 January 2014 - 09:15 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 27 December 2013 - 03:58 PM, said:

For Christmas I got the most interesting, unique, and compelling-as-fuck book!

It's called S and is written by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst.

Uuuuuuu this sounds so exciting! Aaah. Must. Get. I'm bookgasming all over the keyboard.

You should. You really should.

[Tapper]

Finished Six Gun Tarot on the plane on the way to Warsaw and finished Sapkowski's Time of Contempt (book 2 of the Witcher saga) on the way back.

I really liked Six Gun Tarot, although it goes a wee bit too fast at times, by-passing chapters that could explain motives and shape backstories. Still, pretty awesome book.
Time of Contempt was largely enjoyable, although the end was a bit weak for my taste and leaves the reader with a massive cliffhanger.

Now working my way through Alexandra Ritchie's Warsaw 1944, The Fateful Uprising.
It's based on countless witness accounts by Warsaw (non-combattant) citizens, it promises a view of the Uprising from the civilian side.
Unfortunately, after a couple of chapters, I am a bit sceptic.
.
This a book about atrocities, torture and mass murder. It is completely clear that every single shred of humanity is abandoned by the perpetrators of such acts and a measure of emotion and sympathy by the historian on the victimized side's behalf should be expected by the reader.

However, Ritchie goes further in her symapthy, and imho, too far for a historian. It might be because she's representing civilian source material, giving a voice to the nameless sufferers, but the lines between writing history and judging its actors with an inquisitors zeal blur regularly.

Especially Von dem Bach - Zelewski is never free of adjectives ("sadistic", "criminal", "masochistic"). Von dem Bach was undoubtedly a criminal, and the fact that the man never faced trial for war crimes at Neuremberg (in return for testimonies: any subsequent prosecution was for crimes committed in Germany itself, not for crimes against humanity that he undoubtedly committed in Poland or Byelorussia) hurts. However, a recounting of his acts heaps more than enough evidence for all that on the man - it doesn't warrant any further emphasis.

By contrast, Anthony Beevor finds the imho correct balance, both in Berlin and Stalingrad.

[Abyss]

Finished Clines' 14.


It was awesome. Like big Hollywood modern Lovecraft story done right awesome.

Seriously peoples, even if you haven't gotten into his EX HEROES zombies vs superheroes series, if you have any fondness for Lovecraft's work, supernatural mystery and 'ordinary people in fucked up sf situations' type stories, check this book out.

[D'rek]

Mentalist, on 31 December 2013 - 10:38 PM, said:

Studlock, on 31 December 2013 - 10:25 PM, said:

Finished Shriek: An Afterword. which was great and in-depth look into a sibling relationship...something I think SF could use more of. To often our heroes are singular entities without much, if any, family. Maybe my favourite book I've read this year to be honest. Read about 50 pages of Finch and is pretty amazing so far, I love the voice of the narrator and the weirdness of the grey caps. On a side note I'm really enjoying this 'New Weird' thing lately (yes I know I'm about 7 year late) and outside of China Mieville what other books classified as New Weird would you guys recommend? I've got the New Weird anthology/essay thing from Ann and Jeff VanderMeer but it's throwing a lot of information my way so I'd thought I'd go to a second source.

Ry "the city of a Hundred Rows" trilo by Ian Whates.

Also may be worth a look: Deepgate Codex by Alan Campbell (though I hear the last book in the trilo is atrocious)

Thunderer by Felix Gilman is pretty "New Weird"-y

IMO, most of the third Deepgate book (God of Clocks) is still good, though not necessarily as good as the previous two books. It's just the last couple chapters that are the big problem. Once you read how Campbell decides to end the various plotlines, you will desperately want one of those Men in Black short-term memory erasers to undo what you just read.

Which is really too bad because Scar Night and Iron Angel were pretty amazing.

This post has been edited by D'rek: 02 January 2014 - 03:20 PM

[Aptorian]

DO NOT READ THE DEEPGATE TRILOGY.

The first book is actually pretty good but the ending is a bit... off.

Second book is awful but is sort of redeemed by having one of the coolest fantasy concepts ever "John Anchor".

The third book is a litterary attrocity. It is painfully obvious that the author never had any designs that went further than the first book´.

[Abyss]

Not Brent Weeks, on 02 January 2014 - 03:35 PM, said:

DO NOT READ THE DEEPGATE TRILOGY.

The first book is actually pretty good but the ending is a bit... off.

Second book is awful but is sort of redeemed by having one of the coolest fantasy concepts ever "John Anchor".

The third book is a litterary attrocity. It is painfully obvious that the author never had any designs that went further than the first book´.

^ this. So very this.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Abyss, on 02 January 2014 - 03:40 PM, said:

Not Brent Weeks, on 02 January 2014 - 03:35 PM, said:

DO NOT READ THE DEEPGATE TRILOGY.

The first book is actually pretty good but the ending is a bit... off.

Second book is awful but is sort of redeemed by having one of the coolest fantasy concepts ever "John Anchor".

The third book is a litterary attrocity. It is painfully obvious that the author never had any designs that went further than the first book´.

^ this. So very this.

What is this "John Anchor"?

[Abyss]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 02 January 2014 - 03:48 PM, said:

Abyss, on 02 January 2014 - 03:40 PM, said:

Not Brent Weeks, on 02 January 2014 - 03:35 PM, said:

DO NOT READ THE DEEPGATE TRILOGY.

The first book is actually pretty good but the ending is a bit... off.

Second book is awful but is sort of redeemed by having one of the coolest fantasy concepts ever "John Anchor".

The third book is a litterary attrocity. It is painfully obvious that the author never had any designs that went further than the first book´.

^ this. So very this.

What is this "John Anchor"?

You're happier not knowing.

[Aptorian]

MODGOD CLARIFICATION - REF IS TO CAMPBELL'S DEEPGATE CODEX BK 2 IRON ANGEL


I am going to put this in a spoiler, just in case somebody wants to experience the guy for themselves:

Spoiler

John Anchor is a "slave" that works for a Godlike warrior angel. His purpose is to anchor and transport a gigantic wooden airship. He does this all by himself, just fucking pulls the damn thing where ever it needs to go.

So basically you have this beast of a man, walking across the Earth, the seabed, where ever the Rotsward needs to travel, with a harness around his chest connected to a giant rope that disappears into the heavens. He's a thousands of years old and powered by the souls of the men, beasts and angels that he has defeated. He carries their souls around in a pouch and eats their soul gems when he feels hungry or needs a pick me up. We're talking about a guy here who consumes archangels.

And he's quite friendly and very loud and unententionally destructive.

This post has been edited by Abyss: 02 January 2014 - 06:09 PM

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Not Brent Weeks, on 02 January 2014 - 03:57 PM, said:

MODGOD CLARIFICATION - REF IS TO CAMPBELL'S DEEPGATE CODEX BK 2 IRON ANGEL
I am going to put this in a spoiler, just in case somebody wants to experience the guy for themselves:

Spoiler

John Anchor is a "slave" that works for a Godlike warrior angel. His purpose is to anchor and transport a gigantic wooden airship. He does this all by himself, just fucking pulls the damn thing where ever it needs to go.

So basically you have this beast of a man, walking across the Earth, the seabed, where ever the Rotsward needs to travel, with a harness around his chest connected to a giant rope that disappears into the heavens. He's a thousands of years old and powered by the souls of the men, beasts and angels that he has defeated. He carries their souls around in a pouch and eats their soul gems when he feels hungry or needs a pick me up. We're talking about a guy here who consumes archangels.

And he's quite friendly and very loud and unententionally destructive.

That's baller. It reminds me of

Spoiler

the wagon in Dragnipur a bit.

[Kaamos]

QuickTidal, on 27 December 2013 - 03:58 PM, said:

You should. You really should.

Out of stock in every webstore known to me, including Adlibris.fi.

[Aptorian]

Just finished Joe Abercrombie's "Before they are Hanged". Hugely disappointed in this book and the series in general. One book to go, there better be one hell of a payoff at the end of thé third one or I am going to be pissed.

I am so confused. I've heard Abercrombies name pop up a lot these past years, how he is part of a new promising generation of Fantasy. How he writes dark and edgy and clever modern fantasy. If this is the face of modern fantasy I going to be seriously depressed.

[worry]

Let's all not respond to that post for now and just leave him to book 3.

[QuickTidal]

Not Brent Weeks, on 02 January 2014 - 10:41 PM, said:

Just finished Joe Abercrombie's "Before they are Hanged". Hugely disappointed in this book and the series in general. One book to go, there better be one hell of a payoff at the end of thé third one or I am going to be pissed.

I am so confused. I've heard Abercrombies name pop up a lot these past years, how he is part of a new promising generation of Fantasy. How he writes dark and edgy and clever modern fantasy. If this is the face of modern fantasy I going to be seriously depressed.

See, now it was the end of BTAH that sold me on him. It subverts nearly EVERYTHING he'd established and turns it all on its ear. I was floored with the ending (in a good way).

But yeah, Worry is right, I'll be interested to see what you thin about the 3rd book. Get on it. I'm not telling you anything about it.

[Grief]

QuickTidal, on 02 January 2014 - 11:03 PM, said:

Not Brent Weeks, on 02 January 2014 - 10:41 PM, said:

Just finished Joe Abercrombie's "Before they are Hanged". Hugely disappointed in this book and the series in general. One book to go, there better be one hell of a payoff at the end of thé third one or I am going to be pissed.

I am so confused. I've heard Abercrombies name pop up a lot these past years, how he is part of a new promising generation of Fantasy. How he writes dark and edgy and clever modern fantasy. If this is the face of modern fantasy I going to be seriously depressed.

See, now it was the end of BTAH that sold me on him. It subverts nearly EVERYTHING he'd established and turns it all on its ear. I was floored with the ending (in a good way).

But yeah, Worry is right, I'll be interested to see what you thin about the 3rd book. Get on it. I'm not telling you anything about it.

As a counterpoint, I found the "subversion" to be predictable, poorly executed, and lacking in any sort of impact, much as the rest of the books were, and remain bemused as to what all the hype is about. If you didn't like the first two I would be surprised if you enjoy the third.

[worry]

Fiddlesticks!