[Gnaw]

Mentalist, on 11 February 2016 - 04:56 AM, said:

I'd suggest Neal Stephenson- his Baroque cycle is dense, but awesome.

I've read "Snowcrash" and don't really understand the appeal of it.

"The Diamond Age" was literally the last book I read before I was in a house fire. It's very hard to critique a book that you think you were a character in while in a coma. 105 days in the burn unit. My first memory of it is of a female voice saying "it's January the 11th and you're in Baptist Hospital". My second memory is Bill Clinton saying "I did not have sex with that woman."

[Gnaw]

For those few who will be in the position to say the following:


Never, never, ever tell the doctors "I'm on a morphine drip?? Stop that now because it's the most addictive substance on earth."

They will take you at your word. And pain hurts.

[Abyss]

I found THE EXPANSE series to be pretty addictive.... actually maybe that's a bad thing in this instance...

[Maark Abbott]

Dumbledude, on 11 February 2016 - 03:13 AM, said:

You could write your own novel.

Soon, worry. Soon...

[worry]

One third into whatever WOT I'm on (the fifth one, I can't remember these titles):

Spoiler

Feels kinda like a step back. I guess that's cuz all these books are 2/3 traveling from inn to inn before something happens. But total lack of Perrin so far is a real downer, and Mat's been mostly AWOL too. Anyway, it's all still mostly fine, still quite readable (elephants = boar-horses is kinda cute), but the one thing that's annoying me -- and seems to be ramped up in this book more than the first four combined -- is all the men are from Mars women are from Venus nonsense. I absolutely abhor when authors do this, and RJ always has but in moderation usually -- this book, it's CONSTANT. From both sides. Driving me batty.

[Andorion]

Dumbledude, on 11 February 2016 - 11:15 PM, said:

One third into whatever WOT I'm on (the fifth one, I can't remember these titles):

Spoiler

Feels kinda like a step back. I guess that's cuz all these books are 2/3 traveling from inn to inn before something happens. But total lack of Perrin so far is a real downer, and Mat's been mostly AWOL too. Anyway, it's all still mostly fine, still quite readable (elephants = boar-horses is kinda cute), but the one thing that's annoying me -- and seems to be ramped up in this book more than the first four combined -- is all the men are from Mars women are from Venus nonsense. I absolutely abhor when authors do this, and RJ always has but in moderation usually -- this book, it's CONSTANT. From both sides. Driving me batty.

[Mentalist]

"Cornelius Quartet: Part 4 got good enough to make me want to keep reading when I get home (things are being put together). Moorcock can write VERY entertaining scifi.

At home, like a third into "The Light Eternal". Good stuff, but not as awesome as Bk2 just yet.

[Andorion]

Reading Janny Wurts' To Ride Hells Chasm. I haven't seen this author mentioned around here much. I wonder why not. The book is really good.

[JPK]

Andorion, on 13 February 2016 - 02:17 AM, said:

Reading Janny Wurts' To Ride Hells Chasm. I haven't seen this author mentioned around here much. I wonder why not. The book is really good.

All of her work is fantastic. Since you're enjoying this one, I suggest you look up her Wars of Light and Shadow series. It starts with Curse of the Mistwraith and is her big epic.

[Lycaenion]

Daniel Abraham's Shadow And Betrayal. Only a couple of pages in, but loving it so far.

[Maark Abbott]

Still only about 1/3 into The Way of Kings. Dalinar seems like a cool character but so far he's about the only one I find myself giving a rat's ass about.

[Andorion]

Finished reading To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts.

Its an excellent book. Since it is a true standalone the intensity of the events and the heady pace can sometimes feel like an adrenaline rush. In fact after the first bit of setup the book takes off and never looks back.


The emotional quotient in this book is very high as several pretty major events happen in a relatively short time.
The author puts detail in the strangest things. This is the first time I was genuinely worried about a horse.
The way the worldbuilding takes place is very interesting. The story takes place in a relatively small area which is easy enough to construct, but the way the wider world is portrayed through memory and the way the sorcerous threat is built up is very interesting. The juxtaposition of scarred veterans and brutal sorcery against the rather bucolic insular society of Sessalie made for a very interesting contrast.

I have read in multiple places about Wurts' style of writing - her tendency to use the occasional archaic word or phrase. To me this did not detract from the story at all. After I took a couple of chapters to get settled in, the narrative moved fast and smoothly.

On the other hand I could not help but feel that the characters of the Anja and Mykaael were somewhat exaggerated. Of course this may have been a side-effect of the book focussing so much on them. Also I would have liked to know more about how things worked out in Sessalie and the Empire at the end really merited more explanation.

Overall, a very enjoyable book which I would recommend.


Now reading City of Blades which is so far proving to be excellent

[Baco Xtath]

About 4 hrs into Bands of Morning; wow, Wayne has to be one of the corniest characters ever created. I know Sanderson's humor is cheesy as hell anyway but, man, he's pouring it on thick in this one.
Also about 4 hrs left in Morning Star; excellent book. Loving it. I'm trying to stretch it out over the whole week cause I don't want it to end.
Taking a break in City of Blades; it's good but my sansa keeps skipping and I constantly have to find where I'm supposed to be. It's annoying as hell.

I just started reading Full Fathom Five. I'm alternating between that and Hard Luck Hank: Basketful of Crap, was looking for a literary gem so, viola.


Edit: Another hour of Sanderson and I'm done. So very very corny. I don't know why I keep giving this guy a chance. I didn't care for Words of Radiance, quit Steelheart, didn't like Shadows, and now, I'm quitting Bands. I'm done. I find myself rolling my eyes so often that I'm afraid I might actually damage my sight if I keep listening.

This post has been edited by Baco Xtath: 15 February 2016 - 11:09 PM

[Stalker]

Just finished Morning Star, the last book of Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy. Anyone who has been looking out for this one, go get it! Fantastic conclusion to the series. Nice to see a debut author finish a trilogy the right way (looking at you Anthony Ryan...).

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 16 February 2016 - 01:27 AM, said:

I'd forgotten how much the name Waxulimmmmmummmhghgh bugged me in Alloy and does even more now in Shadows.

I always wanted it to be Maximilian. Easier to remember and its an actual name

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 16 February 2016 - 02:26 AM, said:

Yes or no did you get any Cosmere nuggets from 2&3? I'm only on pg 70 and haven't noticed any yet. I'll look it up after 3 but there has to be something in it.

Yup, there's Cosmere in both. A bit more heavy in three I think

[worry]

WOT update:

Spoiler

The three main boys have all had sex! The four main girls haven't! RJ actually used the phrase "make love" halfway into book 5, instead of trailing off with a wink, so you know he's starting to mean business. Bottoms are his favorite. Did he live long enough to see the rise of J.Lo? I pray to God he did.

Mogadon (name possibly inaccurate) is the first good villain of the series. She ain't taking crap from anyone, good bad or ugly. She is, however, taking surprise arrows to the chest, so that's pretty cool.

Also Rand and his Aiel girlfriend warped to Seanchan, and there were dudes riding a wyvern or something like that. If this series actually has dragons in it, that might actually perk me up a bit. Not that I'm hating it (I don't mean to sound so negative all the time, but everyone's read the books already anyway, so what's new to say?), but I'd like a few more elements of fantasy than amorphous sorcery, Ogiers, and those Seanchan frog-rhinos or whatever they are. I'm not counting Trollocs, since they're dumb. RJ never shoulda killed off Treebeard Junior in the first book.

Anyway, still no sign of Perrin.

[JPK]

I finished the first half of tBotNS, and I must say that I enjoyed that much more than the first time I went through it. I went through it so slowly because I wanted to take time to enjoy his writing since his prose is simply gorgeous.

Now I'm reading S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst as a midway break before jumping into the second half. I'm a little over 100 pages into this and loving it. I've wanted to read it since it came out, but the book has always been a pricier one and it took me awhile to find a reasonably priced copy. For anyone who has read this before, have you read any of Dorst's other work? Is any of it as good as this?

[QuickTidal]

The Incredible Kitsu, on 16 February 2016 - 06:36 PM, said:

I finished the first half of tBotNS, and I must say that I enjoyed that much more than the first time I went through it. I went through it so slowly because I wanted to take time to enjoy his writing since his prose is simply gorgeous.

Now I'm reading S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst as a midway break before jumping into the second half. I'm a little over 100 pages into this and loving it. I've wanted to read it since it came out, but the book has always been a pricier one and it took me awhile to find a reasonably priced copy. For anyone who has read this before, have you read any of Dorst's other work? Is any of it as good as this?

I've read this (more than once, which they advise: Main text[Ship of Theseus], Then scribbled back and forth page notes by colours [I forget the order, but the two "scribblers/annotator" characters have I think three separate passes at the book conversing with one another). The whole exercise is an experience, which I didn't appreciate till I read it in the order it's intended (my first pass when I started I ATTEMPTED to read everything on each page...but that ruins the overall effect I found out).

I've not read Dorst's other work. This book was the first I'd heard of him.

[Macros]

Dumbledude, on 16 February 2016 - 02:59 AM, said:

WOT update:

Spoiler

The three main boys have all had sex! The four main girls haven't! RJ actually used the phrase "make love" halfway into book 5, instead of trailing off with a wink, so you know he's starting to mean business. Bottoms are his favorite. Did he live long enough to see the rise of J.Lo? I pray to God he did.

Mogadon (name possibly inaccurate) is the first good villain of the series. She ain't taking crap from anyone, good bad or ugly. She is, however, taking surprise arrows to the chest, so that's pretty cool.

Also Rand and his Aiel girlfriend warped to Seanchan, and there were dudes riding a wyvern or something like that. If this series actually has dragons in it, that might actually perk me up a bit. Not that I'm hating it (I don't mean to sound so negative all the time, but everyone's read the books already anyway, so what's new to say?), but I'd like a few more elements of fantasy than amorphous sorcery, Ogiers, and those Seanchan frog-rhinos or whatever they are. I'm not counting Trollocs, since they're dumb. RJ never shoulda killed off Treebeard Junior in the first book.

Anyway, still no sign of Perrin.

wait till the 4 girls first time... together!