[Mentalist]

Finished "The Thousand Names" yesterday.
Overall,fun book, nice combat scenes.

The dialogue was incredibly cliche, though. Especially the ending scenes. yawn.

Next up, probably gonna go back to my Moorcock read-through for transit reading. I've got "Kane of Old Mars" omnibus next in line.

[polishgenius]

Have spent yesterday and today blazing through the new book by Claire North, Touch. Excellent.

[Abyss]

THE MAGICIANS, Lev Grossman, on audiobook. Was a little sceptical at the potterishness, but the admission test hooked me. Liking so far.

[Andorion]

Read the Nightlife by Rib Thurman. Halfway through Moonshine. There are many elements that distinguishes these books from run-of-the-mill urban fantasy, and these I enjoy. But in the first book the PoVs were not always very coherent. Quite abrupt in places

[Puck]

Andorion, on 01 March 2015 - 04:37 PM, said:

Read the Nightlife by Rib Thurman. Halfway through Moonshine. There are many elements that distinguishes these books from run-of-the-mill urban fantasy, and these I enjoy. But in the first book the PoVs were not always very coherent. Quite abrupt in places

I've read up to and including Roadkill and after the initial insecurities in the first book, when Thurman finally finds her voice during Moonshine (thought what she pulled halfway through Nightlife takes some serious balls, so there's that), this becomes a really really solid and enjoyable series. Great characterization. I love it. Takes some willpower to not jump into the next one asap. Moonshine kicks ass, so enjoy.

This post has been edited by Puck: 01 March 2015 - 06:37 PM

[Andorion]

Puck, on 01 March 2015 - 06:27 PM, said:

Andorion, on 01 March 2015 - 04:37 PM, said:

Read the Nightlife by Rib Thurman. Halfway through Moonshine. There are many elements that distinguishes these books from run-of-the-mill urban fantasy, and these I enjoy. But in the first book the PoVs were not always very coherent. Quite abrupt in places

I've read up to and including Roadkill and after the initial insecurities in the first book, when Thurman finally finds her voice during Moonshine (thought what she pulled halfway through Nightlife takes some serious balls, so there's that), this becomes a really really solid and enjoyable series. Great characterization. I love it. Takes some willpower to not jump into the next one asap. Moonshine kicks ass, so enjoy.

I felt that the twist in the middle of Nightlife would have been more mindblowing if it was in the 2nd book. At that point, I had only read half a book o f Cal. If I was more used to him, it would have been more striking

[HoosierDaddy]

Abyss, on 01 March 2015 - 05:06 AM, said:

THE MAGICIANS, Lev Grossman, on audiobook. Was a little sceptical at the potterishness, but the admission test hooked me. Liking so far.

All 3 are worth a read. It's hit and miss, but when it hits it hits pretty damn well.

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 02 March 2015 - 02:57 AM, said:

Puck, on 01 March 2015 - 06:27 PM, said:

Andorion, on 01 March 2015 - 04:37 PM, said:

Read the Nightlife by Rib Thurman. Halfway through Moonshine. There are many elements that distinguishes these books from run-of-the-mill urban fantasy, and these I enjoy. But in the first book the PoVs were not always very coherent. Quite abrupt in places

I've read up to and including Roadkill and after the initial insecurities in the first book, when Thurman finally finds her voice during Moonshine (thought what she pulled halfway through Nightlife takes some serious balls, so there's that), this becomes a really really solid and enjoyable series. Great characterization. I love it. Takes some willpower to not jump into the next one asap. Moonshine kicks ass, so enjoy.

I felt that the twist in the middle of Nightlife would have been more mindblowing if it was in the 2nd book. At that point, I had only read half a book o f Cal. If I was more used to him, it would have been more striking

Nice to see the pos buzz re this series. It's been sitting on the TRPFH for a while.

HoosierDaddy, on 02 March 2015 - 03:16 AM, said:

Abyss, on 01 March 2015 - 05:06 AM, said:

THE MAGICIANS, Lev Grossman, on audiobook. Was a little sceptical at the potterishness, but the admission test hooked me. Liking so far.

All 3 are worth a read. It's hit and miss, but when it hits it hits pretty damn well.

Noted. I have all three in audio so unless they start sucking, I'm in.

[T77]

Finished Mountain of Black Glass by Tad Williams, the third book in his Otherland series. The first book in the series was the first book of his that I read and I loved it. I read MST and thought it was OK. I also read The War of the Flowers and thought it too was just OK. I then read book two of Otherland, River of Blue Fire and for some reason it didn't click, I think I had a lot on my mind at the time, so i just wrote it off. I really enjoyed Mountain of Black Glass, it was just as good, if not better than the first book. I just love being in this world, I really like the characters too. I've already moved on to book four, Sea of Silver Light and it is great so far. I think I might go back and reread book two right after I finish this. This is a series that I could see myself reading over and over again.

Williams is a bit of a mystery to me. I think Otherland is very good, everything else I've read by him is so-so. At some point I will have to read Shadowmarch and Bobby Dollar hoping I enjoy it as much as Otherland.

[HiddenOne]

I can't make myself finish Shadowmarch.

I did finish Assassin Apprentice, which was OK.

Also reading "The White Tree" which was free, it is fair, but easy to set down

Also reading "Tide of Shadows" still, but it's pretty much one to look at when all else fails

I'm sorry, all respective authors, but there is some mediocre material being released out there. I avoid most of the terrible, but life is too short to read bad fiction.

[Maark Abbott]

I was going to start on Blood of Elves (and did, for like 15 pages), but I've decided to go through The Black Company instead.

[polishgenius]

I started 'A Darker Shade of Magic' by V.E. Schwabb. There's a lot of good here - I like the general premise, I like the setting, I like the writing, I'm mostly liking the characters, and I fucking love the main character's coat; but there's one massive massive flaw in a part of the premise that will either result in either a gaping hole in the logic or the main character looking really really stupid. The latter would be preferable (and current signs point to at least part of that happening) but it's a bit distracting.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 03 March 2015 - 08:56 PM

[Andorion]

Finished the 3rd Cal Leandros book Madhouse. Now while I found the first book promising, and the second book quite good, reading the third book, I have got some negative things to say, not just about the book, but about the series so far. But I can't say them here, because Spoilers, so I will start a new thread. I know a few people here have read the books, so I would also appreciate their input.

[Chance]

Gone through the Matthew Swift books by Kate Griffin and while some call them urban fantasy, urban weird or some such description is probably more apt there is more of Perdido Street Station, Charls de Lint or for that matter Pratchett in these books then the run of the mill urban fantasy though it changes with the ensamble cast of the last two books out which are decidedly less grim and brings to mind books like Pratchetts Watchmen. A pretty decent series all in all, good mostly because it's difference from established genre conventions.

[amphibian]

Kate Griffin is Claire North who is also Catherine Webb.

You'll find more books under those names (not Matthew Swift books though).

[Andorion]

So, sudden impulse today while looking at my TBR list, and as usual I go to my place of first resort for help regarding books
Can anybody here recommend science fiction/fantasy heavily or entirely centred on a group of soldiers in combat? And before everybody starts shouting about Black Company I am looking for books with a tech level of gunpowder age or later. Basically I am looking for combat centric books featuring regiment/battalion/company/platoon/squad level narratives. In sci-fi the type of combat narrative we got in say Warhammer Horus heresy would be a good example. It would be fantastic if anybody could recommend a series that involves regimental level combat like say Django Wexler in his Thousand Names set in a fantasy backdrop. But no medieval sword and knight books please. I want to change and spice up my TBR list, which contains way to many new releases by authors I already know.

If I do get a good series or two, I can start on them after I am done with my Sanderson read.

[Andorion]

amphibian, on 04 March 2015 - 03:42 PM, said:

Kate Griffin is Claire North who is also Catherine Webb.

You'll find more books under those names (not Matthew Swift books though).

This is one talented author. I have to get Touch. Maybe next month.

[amphibian]

Andorion, on 04 March 2015 - 05:29 PM, said:

So, sudden impulse today while looking at my TBR list, and as usual I go to my place of first resort for help regarding books
Can anybody here recommend science fiction/fantasy heavily or entirely centred on a group of soldiers in combat? And before everybody starts shouting about Black Company I am looking for books with a tech level of gunpowder age or later. Basically I am looking for combat centric books featuring regiment/battalion/company/platoon/squad level narratives. In sci-fi the type of combat narrative we got in say Warhammer Horus heresy would be a good example. It would be fantastic if anybody could recommend a series that involves regimental level combat like say Django Wexler in his Thousand Names set in a fantasy backdrop. But no medieval sword and knight books please. I want to change and spice up my TBR list, which contains way to many new releases by authors I already know.

If I do get a good series or two, I can start on them after I am done with my Sanderson read.

Old Man's War and its sequels by John Scalzi.

Gaunt's Ghosts series within the WH40k universe, by Dan Abnett.

Vorkosigan saga (although it's mostly focused on Miles Vorkosigan and a shifting group of people around him and capers/politics/raids) by Lois McMaster Bujold.

[Nicodimas]

Another Recommendation for Promise of Blood..

Book #2 is much better then the first. The first book feels choppy and edited strangely, or something. Lot's of promise in terms of character's/magic system which he delivers in book #2.

[Nicodimas]

Oh book #3 was released...didn't notice that.