[Whisperzzzzzzz]

How do so many people have copies of Fool's Assassin already? I can't wait.

[QuickTidal]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 05 August 2014 - 02:25 PM, said:

How do so many people have copies of Fool's Assassin already? I can't wait.

I stumbled across it whilst searching for something else (and immediately bought it)...I think the stores got them early, but you gotta have an employee who is not in the know about street date to have put it out early.

[End of Disc One]

I'm Assailing away

I'm enjoying this so far. When chapter 1 was released online I just saw a bunch of complaints about the writing, but I think it reads just fine. This book shows promise.

[Goaswerfraiejen]

Finished The First Law trilogy yesterday. It was all right, filled a void. But fairly poorly written, and filled with annoying video-game-style combat BS. I need to find some quality fantasy that I haven't yet read. =/


Started Edwin Abbot's Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. I should be done soon, since it's so short. So far, it's more intellectually interesting/stimulating than fun, but that's to be expected.

[Serenity]

Lord Gator, on 05 August 2014 - 07:57 PM, said:

Overactive Imagination, on 05 August 2014 - 06:08 AM, said:

120 pages into Altered Carbon and fuck, Morgan sure knows how to write a sex scene!

Yep. Keep going till bk3 lol

Woken Furies is fast approaching the top of my TRP, too . . .


Finished Reynolds's Galactic North this morning. I don't read a lot of short stories but, oh my, I really enjoyed those. Lots of questions answered, too. Brilliant stuff.

[acesn8s]

Finished Ringworld Throne. The 2nd half was better than the first half. I decided to continue to Ringworld Children.

[JPK]

I just finished Kafka on the Shore. That book was absolutely brilliant and I understand all of the praise that it gets.

Now I'm going to kick off New Release August (seriously, 5 books that I preordered this month) with The Widow's House by Abraham.

This post has been edited by The Incredible Kitsu: 06 August 2014 - 08:39 PM

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Currently rereading the first two books of David Keck's series because I recently read a lot of hate towards him, and wanted to see whether the books — which I liked when I originally read them around 2009 — still held up or not. I am about 1/4 of the way through the second book, In a Time of Treason, and I'm enjoying it. His writing style is a bit confusing at times, but it's no worse than Erikson's. The plot is intriguing with just enough suspense to keep me turning the pages, and the characters are developed well enough. I don't really get all the hate for him. (Though I would like him to publish the third book in the series! It's been 8 years!)

EDIT: Just checked his blog, and it looks like the third book is in the early stages of edits. So, hopefully that means it will be out within a year!

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 06 August 2014 - 09:00 PM

[Abyss]

Kameron Hurley's GOD'S WAR. enjoying it quite a bit thus far. The setting itself, future planet in a cycle of perpetual religious war, isn't that novel, but the cultures at war are nicely conceived, heavily influenced by Moslem type systems. Liking the characters too, nicely flawed but endearing even when being all flawed.
Rajaniemi's CAUSAL ANGEL remains on deck but I needed something clever but less cerebral to draw my attention post ASSAIL and SAGA vol 3.

[Chance]

Ran through Lev Grossmans The Magician's Land in one sitting and must say that while it was pretty good, it wasn't as good as the two before it. Still there where plenty of awsome and some fantasy literature meta-criticism and commentary which I still find entirely entertaining. The book also felt a bit less pretentious then the first two but that might be just because I've gotten used to the style.

Now on to Esslemonts to Orb, Scepter, Throne, Blood and Bone and Assail. Hopeing that they'll give me inspiration for a Malazan re-read.

[Mentalist]

Lord Gator, on 05 August 2014 - 07:57 PM, said:

Overactive Imagination, on 05 August 2014 - 06:08 AM, said:

120 pages into Altered Carbon and fuck, Morgan sure knows how to write a sex scene!

Yep. Keep going till bk3 lol

By book 3 it got ridiculous, quantity-wise.

[Primateus]

Why the hell didn't anyone tell me that James Corey's "The Expanse" series was good?


That shit is bloody awesome!

[polishgenius]

Primateus, on 07 August 2014 - 03:37 PM, said:

Why the hell didn't anyone tell me that James Corey's "The Expanse" series was good?


That shit is bloody awesome!

Haven't people been raving about on here for ages?

Myself, I enjoyed the first one but it's not on my immediate-must-read list and I haven't yet read the second, I prefer Daniel Abraham's (for it is partly he) fantasy better. Nothing alike, though.

[QuickTidal]

FOOL'S ASSASSIN halfway mark...

Spoiler

Okay, here's the deal. When this book is ON...it's on. Hobb fires on all cylinders as she has always done with Farseer. But when it's OFF, it's not only boring it's slow, meandering and jarringly jumpy. A big part of the problem is the narrative switch. Midway through the book we switch from Fitz to Bee (his newest daughter as a child) as narrator, and the only warning we have that it's occurred (after 10 or 12 chapters of Fitz's voice)is the little opening script of that chapter is from Bee's Journal.

It almost feels as if Hobb is trying to recapture what she had with Fitz in the first trilogy, by jumping to a young POV who's growing up. Does it work? Eh, so far I'm meh on Bee. I think she may be the new White Prophet, like the fool, but I'm not sold yet that she's even remotely interesting as a protag/POV.

And Fitz is TERRIBLY disjointed. Sometimes he's as smart as he's always been...but at other times he's about as dumb as paint and I can't recognize him.

Will keep reading, but so far I'm just sort of reading to hit the good parts and wading through the slow or weird parts. Bee's narrative better shape up though.

Oh and plotwise, the first half of the book only really consisting of the events at the party with the travellers and the messenger, and then everyone not believing Molly (who is barren) is preggers...and then the long, long gestation and finally birth and then the first few years where Bee doesn't talk but "gabbles" (her word). And that's about it. It's not got anything in the way of "excitement" to speak of. So prepare yourself for a "slice of life at Withywoods" Farseer book. Downton Farseer if you will. It's not a bad thing, but just be aware.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 08 August 2014 - 11:01 AM

[T77]

Finished a few books recently. First was The Last Dark the final book in Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series. I thought it was very good. The last two books redeemed the series for me. I really liked the first three books, but thought the middle books were just OK.

I also finished Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. I was on the fence about Abercrombie after reading The First Law Trilogy. I thought the first two books were just meh and thought the last book was good. Well, I guess I have to say I just don't get Abercrombie. I was not impressed with BSC. It wasn't bad, it was just average IMO. I could care less for any of the characters, the plot was nothing special, almost zero world-building, and average writing at best. And, it was barely a fantasy.

[amphibian]

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (a.k.a. Kate Griffin and Catherine Webb) is a terrific book. Think Groundhog Day/All You Need Is Kill/Edge of Tomorrow (once dead, life resets from birth with memories from previous lives intact) yet set in the early 1900s to about 2005 or so. There's a protagonist (Harry August) who is special - yet still one of thousands of such special people who are replaying their lives again and again without cease - and there is an apocalypse coming that he must prevent. He has no superpowers other than the replay/memories thing and has to learn things the long/hard way each time. Extremely interesting premise, which is why there are others like it, and North makes this light thriller work with her writing skills.

If you've read the Matthew Swift books by Griffin, it's the same author under a different pseudonym. I've handed over a fistful of my money to read the Swift books and this one in the last four months, so I'm a little bit biased towards her greatness, but she is a very, very good author. Skilled technician, great eye for the taste of historical accuracy and connects the reader rather firmly to the main characters, while keeping the bad guy/bad guys from being ludicrous.

[Imperial Historian]

Sounds interesting, if you like that concept check out replay by ken grimwood, which explores a similar concept.

Currently reading the fell sword by miles cameron, which is a lot of fun. The cast expands hugely from the red knight, but I'm enjoying this one more.

Read blindsight prior to that, which I enjoyed but didn't love it as much as others here. Will be checking out more of peter watts though.

[Baco Xtath]

Finished Heaven's Queen and the Widow's House. Both were really good. The former concluded as expected and the latter has drawn some serious battle lines that insure the next in the series to be phenomenal. I've started listening to Ex-Purgatory and reading Fairyland. Both looking good thus far..

[Mentalist]

Finished "Age of Shiva", another one of those James Lovegrove's "Godpunk" books.

This one was focused around Hindu mythology and exploring the concept of superheroes. Fun, light read, and the traditional "twist" at the end managed to be rather unexpected. All in all, quite interesting. I'd recommend it.

[QuickTidal]

Finished FOOL'S ASSASSIN by Hobb...it's LONG, and really slow. But there is enough to entertain you I think if you're a diehard Hobb Fitz fan...it at least finishes strong, but man there is a LOT of table setting!