[Serenity]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 21 October 2015 - 06:21 PM, said:

Serenity, on 19 October 2015 - 10:35 AM, said:

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 16 October 2015 - 09:14 PM, said:

David Starkey's Six Wives - I'm on a bit of a history binge.

It's the first Starkey I've read and he's nearly put me off the book with his manner. Ignoring that it's a brilliant, informative read if you're interested in the court of Henry VIII. He's marring it by constantly patting himself on the back for everything he's approached in a slightly different way to previous efforts, or each time he departs from accepted thinking. Seemingly it' has escaped him that it's pretty much the fate of all historians to have someone come along fifty, one hundred, several hundred years later and go "Huh, that's pretty dumb" and come up with a new theory.

Yes, you're great. But please stop telling me every few pages!

He's always struck me as being like that. I've considered reading this book several times but been put off when seeing him interviewed. Good to know that it's enjoyable in spite of that. Have you read Alison Weir's book on the same subject?

I'd still suggest giving it a read - his Catherine of Aragon stuff in particular has been a real treat thus far (I've just got to Anne Boleyn's first progress as Queen - about two thirds of the book down at this point.)

I haven't, but it's on the to read list! I did recently read her Lancaster and York: The War of the Roses and thought it was brilliant though - I recommend if you haven't read it!

Oh excellent - I've almost bought that one on several occasions, now I definitely will. I've read her The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, which was also very good.

[worry]

QuickTidal, on 21 October 2015 - 01:03 PM, said:

Seriously, a millennial in every sense of the word.

She's 1000 years old?

[End of Disc One]

Sounds like the book could use a little more muff diving

[worry]

Aww, that would be SO romantic!!

[amphibian]

Well, sugars and spice are what girls are made of. Makes sense to add more in.

[Maark Abbott]

amphibian, on 22 October 2015 - 01:08 AM, said:

Well, sugars and spice are what girls are made of. Makes sense to add more in.

Don't forget Chemical X.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 22 October 2015 - 02:00 AM, said:

amphibian, on 22 October 2015 - 01:08 AM, said:

Well, sugars and spice are what girls are made of. Makes sense to add more in.

It is kinda fitting that in the pilot the showed that vs the pilot of GoT with Tyrion.

It's a rather good read so far and now I'm starting to see a few differences from show.

The difference stay minimal. There are bigger changes in the latter half, but it mostly stays on target.

As for me I've started Cornwell's latest Saxon story WARRIORS OF THE STORM. Uhtred!!!!

[Mentalist]

Last week I finished "Welcome to the Madhouse", a pretty short sci-fi debut by S.E. Sasaki- a local author whom I met when she was promoting the book in my local Chapters. Turned out she used to be an advance reader for SE (and she told me that FoL is "really good"), and I liked the blurb of her book enough to buy it.

Probably gonna do a proper review in the ded forum, but overall I liked it, though with minor reservations. Will look into sequels.

In commute reading, moved on to Stross' "The Rhesus Chart", the next Laundry Files book. Loving it so far, about halfway through.

At home, finished RotCG over the weekend. Moved on to TtH, but feeling slightly burned out. Reading the epic TBH, RG and RotCG back-to-back was just an overload of epic awesome. With TtH I'm gonna do a chapter (or 2) a day. It really is superbly-written, but the slow pace requires a different approach.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 22 October 2015 - 03:06 PM

[Serenity]

Finished Ian McDonald's Luna: New Moon today. Fabulous book - it really is science fiction's answer to A Game of Thrones. Four hundred pages of plotting, conniving, backstabbing, alliances, feuds, sex, marriages, relationships, divorces, bitter, bitter enmity, edge-of-seat action scenes, and the most breathtaking final chapter I've read in ages. Part two can't come soon enough.

[polishgenius]

I finally read The Dark Defiles. It's very good, a pretty satisfying resolution to the series, but I dunno... maybe it's because it bears a pretty strong resemblance in many ways to both the Acts of Caine and Broken Kingdoms series, both of which do a lot of those things better (although the actual world in aLFfH is my favourite of the lot, with its weirdness and the way a lot of things are kept vague and mysterious, which helps it feel like a vast mythology). But it lacked a little wow, somehow.

Mind you, both of the earlier books in the trilogy grew on me after the first impression (as did Black Man), so hopefully this will too. There is a lot to love.

[Morgoth]

amphibian, on 21 October 2015 - 03:59 PM, said:

There is no real Gary Stu-isms going on in the Blood Song books. Kahn was not paying attention carefully if that's what her take on even the first book is. The second and third books veer dramatically away from even a plausible Gary Stu.

So yeah, I'd not pay attention much to Kahn's reviews if that's the typical quality of thought.

I have no knowledge of this Kahn person, and I only read the first book of the series, so if it changes later on then good. However, I'd argue that the first book in the blood song trilogy very much tells the story of a Gary Stu. It certainly put me off the rest of the series.

[acesn8s]

Morgoth, on 23 October 2015 - 10:42 AM, said:

amphibian, on 21 October 2015 - 03:59 PM, said:

There is no real Gary Stu-isms going on in the Blood Song books. Kahn was not paying attention carefully if that's what her take on even the first book is. The second and third books veer dramatically away from even a plausible Gary Stu.

So yeah, I'd not pay attention much to Kahn's reviews if that's the typical quality of thought.

I have no knowledge of this Kahn person, and I only read the first book of the series, so if it changes later on then good. However, I'd argue that the first book in the blood song trilogy very much tells the story of a Gary Stu. It certainly put me off the rest of the series.

Books 2 and 3 spend more time in POV chapters of other characters.

I really look at the series like, What the Kingkiller Chronicles would look like if they were written by David Gemmel.

[Abyss]

Morgoth, on 23 October 2015 - 10:42 AM, said:

amphibian, on 21 October 2015 - 03:59 PM, said:

There is no real Gary Stu-isms going on in the Blood Song books. Kahn was not paying attention carefully if that's what her take on even the first book is. The second and third books veer dramatically away from even a plausible Gary Stu.

So yeah, I'd not pay attention much to Kahn's reviews if that's the typical quality of thought.

I have no knowledge of this Kahn person, and I only read the first book of the series, so if it changes later on then good. However, I'd argue that the first book in the blood song trilogy very much tells the story of a Gary Stu. It certainly put me off the rest of the series.

We've hashed this out elsepost, but i'll take your bait - how is Vaelin a Gary Stu?

acesn8s, on 23 October 2015 - 12:00 PM, said:

I really look at the series like, What the Kingkiller Chronicles would look like if they were written by David Gemmel.

Needs more dragoncow steaks.

[polishgenius]

I've never really gotten the Kingkiller/Blood Song comparisons. Pretty much the only similarity is that it's a first person narrative with framing setting up the guy telling his story. Everything else about them is about as different as it can be.


Me, I prefer Kingkiller by a huge distance, even with all the flaws in the second book, but clearly mileage varies.

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 23 October 2015 - 08:46 PM, said:

I've never really gotten the Kingkiller/Blood Song comparisons. Pretty much the only similarity is that it's a first person narrative with framing setting up the guy telling his story. Everything else about them is about as different as it can be.


Me, I prefer Kingkiller by a huge distance, even with all the flaws in the second book, but clearly mileage varies.

Both feature a male Chosen One protagonist who grows up in some sort of training system, gains companions, has love issues, becomes legendary. Both have a narrative structure of a future chronicler framing a retelling of past events. It's not a ridiculous comparison.
The basics aside, the authors' styles are quite different, and RAVENS SHADOW is a complete series while KINGKILLER is anyone's guess when it will be done.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 24 October 2015 - 12:57 AM, said:

polishgenius, on 23 October 2015 - 08:46 PM, said:

I've never really gotten the Kingkiller/Blood Song comparisons. Pretty much the only similarity is that it's a first person narrative with framing setting up the guy telling his story. Everything else about them is about as different as it can be.


Me, I prefer Kingkiller by a huge distance, even with all the flaws in the second book, but clearly mileage varies.

Both feature a male Chosen One protagonist who grows up in some sort of training system, gains companions, has love issues, becomes legendary. Both have a narrative structure of a future chronicler framing a retelling of past events. It's not a ridiculous comparison.
The basics aside, the authors' styles are quite different, and RAVENS SHADOW is a complete series while KINGKILLER is anyone's guess when it will be done.

Yep. Agreed.

[polishgenius]

Abyss, on 24 October 2015 - 12:57 AM, said:

Both feature a male Chosen One protagonist who grows up in some sort of training system, gains companions, has love issues, becomes legendary. Both have a narrative structure of a future chronicler framing a retelling of past events. It's not a ridiculous comparison.

I guess, but that's still a pretty broad template. Apart from the chronicler bit, there's hundreds like that. I think if Blood Song didn't have the bookends, no-one would have jumped at the comparison - but in Blood Song it's really just window dressing whereas in Kingkiller it's a key part of what the series is about, which in a great proportion is stories and storytelling itself.

[Serenity]

Making a start on Christian Cameron's Alexander: God of War.

[Calm's Peace]

Has anyone read Ken Scholes, Pslams of Issak? Worth picking up to read?

[Baco Xtath]

Calm, on 26 October 2015 - 09:43 PM, said:

Has anyone read Ken Scholes, Pslams of Issak? Worth picking up to read?

The first was really good but I lost interest halfway through the second one. However, I've read where others have enjoyed all four so I'll probably give them another shot when the series is completed.

25% through the Dread Wyrm. Thus far it's really good though I fucking hate the Galles but I guess that's the point. Also about 1/2 through Ancillary Mercy. Really good stuff.