[Tattersail_]

Abyss, on 14 May 2015 - 06:22 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 06:08 PM, said:

Obviously you have Dresden. What else do you have in your locker?

On the urban fantasy side these days i myself have Jacka's ALEX VERUS, Aaronovich's PETER GRANT, Carey's FELIX CASTOR, Grossman's MAGICIANS trilo ...and the first ten books of Hamilton's EXECUTIONER series but dear god go no further. Opinions vary on Hearne's IRON DRUID.... i liked some parts (Jesus, Celtic, Native American mythology), skimmed/skipped others (vampires, werewolves, Norse yawn).

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 06:08 PM, said:

I highly recommend this series.

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 06:11 PM, said:

Each chapter is a page turner. There's so many good scenes.

QuickTidal, on 14 May 2015 - 06:14 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 06:11 PM, said:

Each chapter is a page turner. There's so many good scenes.

I love any scene with Kate and Andrea bantering.

NOT HELPING.

The ones you just mentioned which one would I like. I don't fancy the last in Grossmans trilogy

[QuickTidal]

I'd choose the Peter Grant books out of Abyss' list there, I've read all but the most recent one of them, and really enjoyed them. Not QUITE Dresden or Kate level...but close and British, which gives it a different flavor.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 14 May 2015 - 07:12 PM

[polishgenius]

There's still not enough of you reading Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift/Magicals Anonymous series.

[amphibian]

polishgenius, on 14 May 2015 - 07:40 PM, said:

There's still not enough of you reading Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift/Magicals Anonymous series.

Yes. Absolutely wonderful author.


She's building a head of steam much like a Jim Butcher - except with more diversity of stories told thus far.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 14 May 2015 - 07:50 PM

[Abyss]

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 07:09 PM, said:

...

The ones you just mentioned which one would I like. I don't fancy the last in Grossmans trilogy

I don't know your tastes (not having eaten any of your brainz), but put it this way...

VERUS - simple plots, interesting world, great action scenes. Main char's power can be a bit plot-driven/driver, but fun regardless. Near Dresden level pacing. Series not yet done, four or five books so far.


GRANT - low key subtle magic (mostly), fun narrator, fascinating history, cop in London flavor is fairly original, fun fun cast. Uneven pace, some books fall into the 'slow build to one big finish' style, but not much or in a bad way. Four books so far, no end in sight.

CASTOR - Dark, nicely original very VERY low key magic (until it isn't and then holyfuck), very much a slow simmer to big finish style but it works. More 'human' than Verus, comparable to Grant. Fantastic supporting cast. Seems to be finished in five books. Sixth rumoured but not necessary. Books four and five are brilliant as you'd expect from the guy who wrote the Lucifer comic.

BLAKE/EXECUTIONER - fascinating world (her vamps and weres are among the most interesting i've read), great characters, fun first person 'tough chick' narrator, gradually builds a complex would and cast. Sadly, the whole series turns into supernatural pr0n crap with book 11, but 1-10 are worthwhile and reach a natural end for the series. I DO NOT recommend reading past 10.

DRUID - Inconsistent. The fun original parts carry the drab parts mostly. No end in sight. Found the earbooks viscerally annoying.

Also, if you like some horror and mindfuck with your urban fantasy/sf, consider Clines' 14. One and done. GREAT book.Author also writes the superheroes vs zombies EX-HEROES series which is popcorn fun brilliance.

[polishgenius]

An entertaining one-shot (afaik- a sequel is possible but not necessary, I dunno about any plans) that I recommend is The Weirdness by Jeremy Bushnell. A bit more overtly comic than most books mentioned here but that hides some pretty cool/creepy stuff and the whole thing centers around a concept that amuses my inner physicist immensely.


And another series that also doesn't get enough love is Black Sun's Daughter by MLN Hanover (aka Daniel Abraham, aka possibly the best fantasy author writing today). It is, as is Abraham's wont, quite low-key to start with, which is an unusual way to go for uf, but it works and (as is Abraham's wont), it builds and builds. And (as is...), the character work is superb, as is the prose.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 14 May 2015 - 08:15 PM

[Baco Xtath]

Just finished the Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Excellent book and excited to find out it's a trilogy. It's about 1st contact set in modern day China, heavy on politics and philosophy, a slow burn that is unique and well written. More philosophical than Alastair Reynolds but of a similar vein. Recommended.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Aaaand I'm done. Just finished The Crippled God. What a fucking ride that reread was. I love these ten books.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 14 May 2015 - 06:19 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 06:17 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 14 May 2015 - 06:14 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 06:11 PM, said:

Each chapter is a page turner. There's so many good scenes.

I love any scene with Kate and Andrea bantering.

Where are you up yo? There's about 10 scenes that stand out in your book.

Spoiler

Basically they are still setting up the team to go to the Carpathians, and Curran and Saiman have said they'll play nice on the boat across the ocean. So far the scene where Kate confesses about Roland, Voron, and her whole past to Julie is the standout.

Practically any scene where Kate is beheading some chap with a sword

But to go into specifics

Spoiler

Kate and Co.s first group figtht scene in Magic Strikes which was extremely funny and then when she realised what blade the demon held, the way she just ran through and impaled herself on it. Hardcore

Kate vs Erra in Magic Bleeds. Plus Kate vs the shapeshifters in the end of the book

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 14 May 2015 - 08:01 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 14 May 2015 - 07:09 PM, said:

...

The ones you just mentioned which one would I like. I don't fancy the last in Grossmans trilogy

I don't know your tastes (not having eaten any of your brainz), but put it this way...

VERUS - simple plots, interesting world, great action scenes. Main char's power can be a bit plot-driven/driver, but fun regardless. Near Dresden level pacing. Series not yet done, four or five books so far.

GRANT - low key subtle magic (mostly), fun narrator, fascinating history, cop in London flavor is fairly original, fun fun cast. Uneven pace, some books fall into the 'slow build to one big finish' style, but not much or in a bad way. Four books so far, no end in sight.

CASTOR - Dark, nicely original very VERY low key magic (until it isn't and then holyfuck), very much a slow simmer to big finish style but it works. More 'human' than Verus, comparable to Grant. Fantastic supporting cast. Seems to be finished in five books. Sixth rumoured but not necessary. Books four and five are brilliant as you'd expect from the guy who wrote the Lucifer comic.

BLAKE/EXECUTIONER - fascinating world (her vamps and weres are among the most interesting i've read), great characters, fun first person 'tough chick' narrator, gradually builds a complex would and cast. Sadly, the whole series turns into supernatural pr0n crap with book 11, but 1-10 are worthwhile and reach a natural end for the series. I DO NOT recommend reading past 10.

DRUID - Inconsistent. The fun original parts carry the drab parts mostly. No end in sight. Found the earbooks viscerally annoying.

Also, if you like some horror and mindfuck with your urban fantasy/sf, consider Clines' 14. One and done. GREAT book.Author also writes the superheroes vs zombies EX-HEROES series which is popcorn fun brilliance.

Uh Abyss I thought Anita Blake fell squarely into Paranormal softporn. Its one reason I have avoided the books like the plague. But if you certify.... then I can take a look

[amphibian]

I quit the Blake series two point five books in bc they weren't getting better.

[Andorion]

To add to the urban fantasy discussion,

Anyone read Christopher Farnsworth's Nathaniel Cade books? I have read the first two and they were not bad.

Also John Conroe's Demon Accords books. These are pure popcorn, and to me an exercise in overpowering the protagonist. Seriously by book 3 the protagonist is sooo strong... but very entertaining if you ar ein the mood

[Abyss]

Blake isn't supernatural pron initially. There's sex, and sexual elements, but it's far from the point of the series. Till 11 when it becomes the entire point of the series and wow author implosion is a sad sad thing to behold. In her slight defence Hamilton's marriage fell apart, there may have been some bad stuff involved and it may have influenced her writing just a little. But... On the plus side for those first ten books, you have an interesting setting, great beasties and some crazy action scenes. Her supernatural politics are fun, the various beasties are interesting... It just works. I get why some people don't care for it, but before Dresden showed up this was fun stuff for a while.

Farnsworth's NATHANIEL CADE books are great fun. I enjoyed all three to date. Dude has a great time with his movie refs and writes a hell of an action sequence. Also... "I'm a vampire. Humans are our prey. Why would we want to fuck you.. You're our food. Do you fuck your cows?"

[Morgoth]

polishgenius, on 13 May 2015 - 05:14 PM, said:

McLovin, on 13 May 2015 - 04:31 PM, said:

Got a biography of Jimmy Carter from the library. The most hated ex-president in US history, pundits love to work a dig at him into an editorial every chance they get, even 30+ years after he left office. I just feel the need to read more about him.

My dad reckons that Jimmy Carter and his policies essentially led to the fall of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, and I'm not sure he's wrong.

Not the best place for a discussion on this topic I reckon, but I'm pretty sure the USSR's collapse was mostly independent of any US policies. The cause was mostly internal and tied to the continued modernization of the USSR economy in my opinion.

[polishgenius]

Morgoth, on 15 May 2015 - 06:24 AM, said:

Not the best place for a discussion on this topic I reckon, but I'm pretty sure the USSR's collapse was mostly independent of any US policies. The cause was mostly internal and tied to the continued modernization of the USSR economy in my opinion.

Indeed. However, his argument is that his softening the US stance towards the USSR, so criticised at the time, opened them and the people there, up to more cultural influence and seeing what you actually get from a modern economy, thus increasing restlessness and the desire for that change.

Bear in mind my dad was an anti-communist activist in Poland at the time, so I'm inclined to listen when he talks about these things.

[Puck]

Also to add to the urb-fant discussion/recos, I'm making my way through Thurman's Cal Leandros books and I can't stress enough how much fun it is. It's certainly not perfect, but I've yet to find an urb-fant series that is, and what it's got going for it are interesting takes on some beasties, well-developed and fun characters, a very funny but dark narrative voice, and also the exploration of a protagonist who is not entirely human. Or basically human with funky features. That includes running down deer and trying to eat them raw. Also, despite having an.. enthusiastically pansexual character among the core cast, it's very very low on the pr0n meter.

I know some people will disagree with me on that, but I still recommend it.

This post has been edited by Puckstein: 15 May 2015 - 06:34 AM

[Morgoth]

polishgenius, on 15 May 2015 - 06:29 AM, said:

Morgoth, on 15 May 2015 - 06:24 AM, said:

Not the best place for a discussion on this topic I reckon, but I'm pretty sure the USSR's collapse was mostly independent of any US policies. The cause was mostly internal and tied to the continued modernization of the USSR economy in my opinion.

Indeed. However, his argument is that his softening the US stance towards the USSR, so criticised at the time, opened them and the people there, up to more cultural influence and seeing what you actually get from a modern economy, thus increasing restlessness and the desire for that change.

Bear in mind my dad was an anti-communist activist in Poland at the time, so I'm inclined to listen when he talks about these things.

However, the continued development of the USSR necessitated more and more contact between the population of the USSR and the West. Mayhaps Carter's policies made the collapse happen sooner, but as long as the USSR aimed to continue being a world power without seriously adapting the structure of their society, the fall was inevitable.

[polishgenius]

This is true, I won't debate that it wouldn't have happened eventually, it obviously would.

But for the people at the time, the sooner the better. Him and afaik some of his co-conspirators are big fans of Carter.

[HiddenOne]

Started & finished "Legend" today, enjoyed it, I know it's a classic but I hadn't read it before. I plan to follow up on the series later.

Now I have to decide which part of my recent book haul to start on next.

[HiddenOne]

"Iron Dawn" by Stover, excellent so far