[Morgoth]

I quite enjoyed Bakker. I get why the many flaws of his writing make people dislike the books, and his online persona certainly doesn't help matters, but I personally like his writing.

I have to say though that the use of the word "pretentious" as a criticism falls into more or less the same category as "shallow and pedantic".

[Malaclypse]

working my through Assail on my phone. I'm enjoying it thoroughly so far, apart from the T'lan Imass playing in the water like they just don't care

This post has been edited by Malaclypse: 12 September 2014 - 07:25 AM

[Hetan]

Andorion, on 12 September 2014 - 02:17 AM, said:

Clearly Bakker is as much of a controversy around here as Jordan. Okies.Anyway, started WoT with the prequel book A New Spring. 50% in, and so far pretty decent. I'll probably start a WoT thread when I start the Eye of the World.

Please don't

[Hetan]

I finally picked up some Patrick Rothfuss and read a couple over me hols - they were suprisingly decent, if a little repetitive in places. Needs to refine that sledgehammer a little imnsho.

Couldn't get into Butcher - some fun stuff, don't get me wrong, just never delivers that tension for me.

[End of Disc One]

Andorion, on 12 September 2014 - 02:17 AM, said:

Anyway, started WoT with the prequel book A New Spring. 50% in, and so far pretty decent. I'll probably start a WoT thread when I start the Eye of the World.

Bad idea. Should start with The Eye of the World and go in publication order. New Spring spoils some of the main series, and it's not nearly as good as the majority of the books in the series.

[QuickTidal]

Nearly done Ilona Andrews second Kate Daniels book MAGIC BURNS...and I'm ready to say this.

Second best Urban Fantasy series I've ever read after Butcher. Better than Aaronovich, Hearne, and Carey.

Some of the most unique world-building in a UF series. I mean, the vampires in it are mindless bat-creatures that are "piloted" by a cabal of talented Necromancers...which is messed up and awesome. The leader of the shapeshifters changes into a badass Lion. I just read a scene in which a Fomorian god named Bolgor who wears a hooded white robe and has long green tentacles for arms controls things called Reeves (picture THE RING demon/girl) whose long hair can he used as strangling weapons fights Kate who wields a magic sword. The pace is electric, and I can't stop reading it.

I'm buying book 3 after work so I can dive right in.

Well worth a look, and I think I owe my thanks to Abyss for letting me know of the enjoyable short story he read a while back...otherwise I might never have given these books a look.

[amphibian]

Assail is good.

ICE still has problems with beginnings and having his characters info dump way too much and baldly early on. But the rest is fantastic.

He does a very good job with the unfulfilled quest that measures into something else and finally gets an Old Guard (Cartherton) to be someone worthy of building an empire on.

Blood and Bone was not a fluke. Assail is his best book yet and he's finally writing at a level Malazan fans can truly enjoy. Shame it took him this long and many skipped editorial cycles to get this far, but he's here now.

[Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai]

Currently reading LOTR after reading The Hobbit then Assail. Both of which were awesome. Noting big differences between even the extended films, and the books for LOTR already. Such as no dwarves at Bilbo's birthday! Why I never! lol. Great book so far, I really like Tolkien's writing style, he talks directly to you alot, which is cool and quite unique in what I have read thus far. Feels like I am next to him as he talks, way back in the 30s and 40s when he was writing and creating this great universe. Guys a legend

[Serenity]

Andorion, on 12 September 2014 - 02:23 AM, said:

Serenity, on 10 September 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

I finished O'Brian's The Surgeon's Mate over the weekend, thought it was bloody marvellous.

I've just finished Hannibal by Ross Leckie, which is possibly the nastiest (in graphic violence terms) book I've read. I'm not usually bothered by violence in books, but I nearly threw this one across the room in disgust a couple of times. Won't be bothering with the sequels.

Regarding Ross Leckie, could you elaborate? I have read several books set in the Roman Empire, and violence was pretty much a staple so I am curious what turned you off.

Oh I normally love novels set in this era, but the violence in this book went to quite sickening levels at times, unnecessarily so in my opinion. It was doubly annoying because it could've been a great book, but it just kept pulling me out of the story. But then the friend who loaned it to me liked the whole trilogy, so what do I know?

[Andorion]

Serenity, on 12 September 2014 - 04:50 PM, said:

Andorion, on 12 September 2014 - 02:23 AM, said:

Serenity, on 10 September 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

I finished O'Brian's The Surgeon's Mate over the weekend, thought it was bloody marvellous.

I've just finished Hannibal by Ross Leckie, which is possibly the nastiest (in graphic violence terms) book I've read. I'm not usually bothered by violence in books, but I nearly threw this one across the room in disgust a couple of times. Won't be bothering with the sequels.

Regarding Ross Leckie, could you elaborate? I have read several books set in the Roman Empire, and violence was pretty much a staple so I am curious what turned you off.

Oh I normally love novels set in this era, but the violence in this book went to quite sickening levels at times, unnecessarily so in my opinion. It was doubly annoying because it could've been a great book, but it just kept pulling me out of the story. But then the friend who loaned it to me liked the whole trilogy, so what do I know?

Yeah sometimes too much violence or badly written violence can be a bit jarring. But moat books of Rome I have read have had a pretty high level of violence. I haven't read the Masters of Rome series though

[Serenity]

Andorion, on 12 September 2014 - 06:21 PM, said:

Serenity, on 12 September 2014 - 04:50 PM, said:

Andorion, on 12 September 2014 - 02:23 AM, said:

Serenity, on 10 September 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

I finished O'Brian's The Surgeon's Mate over the weekend, thought it was bloody marvellous.

I've just finished Hannibal by Ross Leckie, which is possibly the nastiest (in graphic violence terms) book I've read. I'm not usually bothered by violence in books, but I nearly threw this one across the room in disgust a couple of times. Won't be bothering with the sequels.

Regarding Ross Leckie, could you elaborate? I have read several books set in the Roman Empire, and violence was pretty much a staple so I am curious what turned you off.

Oh I normally love novels set in this era, but the violence in this book went to quite sickening levels at times, unnecessarily so in my opinion. It was doubly annoying because it could've been a great book, but it just kept pulling me out of the story. But then the friend who loaned it to me liked the whole trilogy, so what do I know?

Yeah sometimes too much violence or badly written violence can be a bit jarring. But moat books of Rome I have read have had a pretty high level of violence. I haven't read the Masters of Rome series though

I'm used to a high level of violence but I felt this one went beyond that. Masters of Rome is fantastic, highly recommended.

[Andorion]

Almost at the end of New Spring. Still good, but getting a bit strange in parts.

[Andorion]

Finished New Spring, 4 chapters into The Eye of the World.

New Spring finished way too fast for my taste.

Another thing I am noticing is that there is a certain extent of LotR influence that went into at least the original imagining of the series. Its pretty blatant in Eye of the World and New Spring, but its a huge series so I am curious as to how Jordan deals with it.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 14 September 2014 - 03:45 AM, said:

How many of the books do you have so far? I ll be very interested in your progress and thoughts if you make it through the next 14.

I actually have access to all the books, I am planning to start a new thread on this when I finish Eye of the World

[Chance]

Finished up the Well of Ascension and meh the kind of powerup dynamics, where main character death/deadly trouble seems to mean that the protagonists is getting a powerup to cheat his way out of it isn't all that much fun, same problem as with Lightbringer series not everyone important need to have superpowers. Except for that it was entertaining.

Starting up Ancillary Justice or Magic Bites next.

This post has been edited by Chance: 14 September 2014 - 08:14 AM

[Serenity]

Over the last couple of days I read Bujold's Ethan of Athos and the novella Labyrinth, both very enjoyable.

This morning I've made a start on Meluch's The Myriad.

[Andorion]

10 Chapters into The Eye of the World and the LotR parallels are dancing the tango up and down the narrative. Just asking anyone who has read the series, does it go on like this or does Jordan eventually leave Tolkien and strike out on his own?

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 14 September 2014 - 01:01 PM, said:

10 Chapters into The Eye of the World and the LotR parallels are dancing the tango up and down the narrative. Just asking anyone who has read the series, does it go on like this or does Jordan eventually leave Tolkien and strike out on his own?

The initial 3 books are Tolkien-esque in some regards, but only the first one is so completely, blatantly Tolkien-eqsue, but by book 4 he leaves that all well behind and strikes out in his own direction. Not to worry.

[Ukjent]

And two books after you feel sorry that he did.

[Andorion]

Graablick, on 14 September 2014 - 02:21 PM, said:

And two books after you feel sorry that he did.

I do seem to have heard a lot of bad things about the sixth book. Lets see. Chapter 14 and going strong.

Now there' bloody Arthurian elements entering with "a sword in the stone" and in the New Spring there were mentions of Artur Hawkwing, Artur Pendraeg, which I consider a very clumsy way of paraphrasing Arthur Pendragon.