[Tiste Simeon]

Finished Mistborn, well executed finish to the series! Will possibly write some more thoughts later but I'm on my way in to see Rogue One so I can't right now!

[EmperorMagus]

Halfway through City of Stairs.

The book is certainly well-written. I still don't like Shara, but now it's more due to the fact that I just don't understand her as a character. Why does she do what she does? What are her beliefs? What are her goals in life? I have read half the book and I can't answer any of those questions.

[Andorion]

Went on a bit of a reading binge over the weekend

1. Code Name Verity: Excellent book set in the second world war. Really liked it

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness: Very intense and emotional book

3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: A good premise ruined by its YA setting. I would have loved it to be written like The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

4. The Warrior Prophet by R Scott bakker : Finally finished this. An absolutely excellent book. Better that Darkness that Comes Before. Really enjoyed reading about Kellhus. Achamian is an absolute badass.

Currently reading Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh and Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

[Macros]

EmperorMagus, on 19 December 2016 - 03:54 AM, said:

Halfway through City of Stairs.

The book is certainly well-written. I still don't like Shara, but now it's more due to the fact that I just don't understand her as a character. Why does she do what she does? What are her beliefs? What are her goals in life? I have read half the book and I can't answer any of those questions.

I'm interested to see you final thoughts on the book.

[EmperorMagus]

Finished City of Stairs.

It's a great book overall. I love the original concept and the overall theme a lot. However, I still think the main character was mediocre at best. Shara just seems disjointed to me, some parts of her don't mesh with other parts at all.

Spoiler

I hated the fact that the divinities themselves got so little screen time, and the fact that they died. I hope there is more screen time for them in the second and third book.

Also, the concept of "The good colonizer" in Shara versus "The Bad Colonizer" in the ministry is a tried and true trope which annoyed me. To build on this trope, Vorhannes was the "The Noble Savage" versus his brother as just "The Savage". I realize the point of the book was reconciliation between the two nations, but the shape of this reconciliation and the way the book was written leave a sour taste in my mouth.

I will certainly read the rest of the series though.

[Tiste Simeon]

Read Ready Player One. Really great concept and engaging plot. Very much enjoyed!

[Abyss]

Just finished THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT. Short take: liked. Nicely different, interesting protagonist, very focused on economics yet doesnt drag for it. Not much action but what there was was well written. Wish it had a stronger fantasy element... other than the basics of being a fictional setting, there was no 'magic', tho it's slightly hinted at in the epilogue. Will read the sequel.
Longer spoiler SPOILERS take:

Spoiler

I liked this book. I did not love it, but it held my attention and that's saying somethng given how heavily politics and economics figure in the story.

There wasn't much action, but what there was was really well written. The duel and the final battle in particular verged on stunning, and I'd like to see this author write more action scenes.
The Masquerade Empire was a solid baddie. Well thought out, with a few original wrinkles, notably the truth behind the Emperor and how early and easily that was revealed.
If I had a complaint, it's that the two major twists... Baru's ultimate mission and her last meeting with Tain Hu, were not that much of a surprise. Maybe I've just read too much fiction, but these twists were not nearly twisty enough. As plot developments in the story they did work well enough even so.
Dickinson is a solid writer and I'll be interested in seeing where he goes next with this.

Briefly started Frank Beddor's LOOKING GLASS WARS but I can't do it. Just too YA, too hamhanded a beginning. Maybe another time.

[Slow Ben]

Slow Ben, on 16 December 2016 - 06:04 PM, said:

Finally finished my re-read of Forge of Darkness.

Jumping right in to Fall of Light.

OK, i knew starting around RG and TTH Erikson became obsessed with emotional internal monologues or whatever you want to call them. FoD was the worst to date, but i still enjoyed the book.

But I'm 250 pages into FoL and this damn book could easily be 20 pages. I'm still enjoying the story, but i catch myself scanning until i see quotation marks. Because all these fucking internal philosophical ramblings get old.

Anyway, rant over, onward and upward.

[amphibian]

EmperorMagus, on 20 December 2016 - 02:59 AM, said:

Finished City of Stairs.

It's a great book overall. I love the original concept and the overall theme a lot. However, I still think the main character was mediocre at best. Shara just seems disjointed to me, some parts of her don't mesh with other parts at all.

Spoiler

I hated the fact that the divinities themselves got so little screen time, and the fact that they died. I hope there is more screen time for them in the second and third book.

Also, the concept of "The good colonizer" in Shara versus "The Bad Colonizer" in the ministry is a tried and true trope which annoyed me. To build on this trope, Vorhannes was the "The Noble Savage" versus his brother as just "The Savage". I realize the point of the book was reconciliation between the two nations, but the shape of this reconciliation and the way the book was written leave a sour taste in my mouth.

I will certainly read the rest of the series though.

I think you're leaving out that Shara has no idea what she's getting into most of the time. Her told to her histories are wrong. Her assumptions are frequently blown up. The nature of gods is a bit Eriksonian in that the worshippers shape the worshipped as much as the other way.

That being said, you'll like the second book.

[EmperorMagus]

amphibian, on 22 December 2016 - 01:34 AM, said:

I think you're leaving out that Shara has no idea what she's getting into most of the time. Her told to her histories are wrong. Her assumptions are frequently blown up. The nature of gods is a bit Eriksonian in that the worshippers shape the worshipped as much as the other way.

That being said, you'll like the second book.

Possible minor spoilers alert.

Spoiler

She's a patriot one second, and someone who wants to give a foreign continent billions to help them the next second. She is smart/the best operative ever one second and getting out smarted the next second. 75% into the book we discover she likes to cook for some reason. Supposedly she is good at her job but without Sigrud she wouldn't have been able to do anything this whole book. I realize I'm being pedantic and nitpicky, but Sigrud's existence was only for bailing Shara out of trouble.

[Abyss]

Before starting Brandon's ARCANA, decided to get caught up on MISTBORN, started ALLOY OF LAW.
Nice to be back in this world.

[MTS]

Working my way through ICE's books again, to get myself fresh for a read of Assail.

Then to start on Corey's Expanse books, as I've been told to get my ass in gear and read them already.

[worry]

Finished A Memory of Light. Mostly liked it.

Spoiler

Flaws: The Green Ajah don't do anything of particular note, as Battle Ajah. Samitsu Sedai doesn't appear at all, even though she's one of the best living healers. Moiraine & Lan don't get any proper resolution (there's a one-liner about how Lan avoids her now, but that's it). The Mat vs. Padan Fain matchup is a real turkey that provides resolution but doesn't dwell enough in the pathos for either of them -- the destruction of Shadar Logoth is never addressed by Mat, and if Padan Fain is this series's Gollum, he gets short shrift in the finale (despite a few effectively eerie moments). There should have been a scene w/ Lelaine after Romanda gets exploded. Sharina Melloy -- the super old "Novice" they get in Salidar who is apparently super powerful -- doesn't do jack during the Last Battle. I knew it was bound to happen, but a lot of secondary characters get neglected. Oh well.

Best stuff: Egwene's sacrifice is awesome. Androl is a fantastic POV character, and he and Pevara make a great team throughout. Gawyn and Galad are both great and true to character. All of the remaining Forsaken are genuinely heavy hitters who bring the ruckus. I was wrong about Demandred being Taim (and lol it's revealed during the prologue, so that was fast), but I think it was a deliberate red herring, and it makes sense that one is kind of the scion of the other. The Dark One is mostly a success -- the dialogue got a little shaky by the end maybe, but it was certainly an inhuman elemental Other rather than just a very bad-bad person. Olver could be a pain in the butt, but his moments stuck in the crack through when he blows the Horn are genuinely scary (for him, not like in a horror way). The Ogier in battle were worth the wait. All the big characters had some great moments. Of my top 3 characters, Verin and (the voice of) Lews Therin are both dead, but Logain's still around and his POV is very necessary (though I wish his saving-the-village scene was on screen).

All in all I thought Sanderson -- who in my limited experience with his work seems to have a very organized mind -- really did an impressive job. I doubt he followed every single thread RJ had going (a list of loose threads would be handy) but in a way that was probably necessary, given RJ's tendency to sprawl. I thought the transition was mostly seamless, and the last books benefited from his younger, next-generation take on the material (sense of humor, for example -- Mat was hilarious in this book).

In conclusion, I started with three questions:
1) What's the deal with Crossroads of Twilight?
2) How did Brandon Sanderson do w/ the hand-off?
3) Is spending ~1 year reading this titan of "old school" fantasy worth it?

My answers:
1) It wasn't that bad, and definitely isn't the worst in the series. Eye of the World kinda sucks.
2) I'm quite satisfied, and I can't see anyone doing it better.
3) Sure, why not, life is meaningless.

This post has been edited by death rattle: 22 December 2016 - 10:42 AM

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 22 December 2016 - 10:17 PM, said:

Geez the maps in Safehold 6 are cluttered. Big fucking world

Took me forever to get the locations straightened out

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 23 December 2016 - 01:51 AM, said:

Yeah I'm used to his maps showing just a few sections of earldoms etc but he went and blew up damn near all Siddernark in this one. Didn't help my Ambien was kicking in last night when I flipped 6 open either....

I found Siddermarkian locations and maps to be the most confusing. Especially the northern parts

[Mentalist]

Finished "Fractal prince". I'm in BookDepository in my other tab wishlisting Book 3as I'm typing this. Such a mash of stuff.... but soooo goood (actually scratch that, for 10 bucks, it's being purchased NAO)

Now, I got 3 days of commute left this year. Instead of starting a new book, I think I'll make "When the Heavens fall" a both at home and commute book for the holidays, as I prolly won't be reading as much at home anyway.

[EmperorMagus]

Since I'm having trouble getting into fiction books right now (been trying the read Gaunt's Ghosts 1, I've decided to try going through Hobbes' Leviathan. The introduction already has me hooked.

[amphibian]

Library at Mount Char is fanfuckingtastic.

Beautiful, gruesome, moving, and respectful of both small things and big things in their own ways.

Plus there's a terrifically smart lady, a confused plumber, and a murder machine in a tutu.

[EmperorMagus]

amphibian, on 23 December 2016 - 10:08 PM, said:

Library at Mount Char is fanfuckingtastic.

Beautiful, gruesome, moving, and respectful of both small things and big things in their own ways.

Plus there's a terrifically smart lady, a confused plumber, and a murder machine in a tutu.

Yes.

[Andorion]

amphibian, on 23 December 2016 - 10:08 PM, said:

Library at Mount Char is fanfuckingtastic.

Beautiful, gruesome, moving, and respectful of both small things and big things in their own ways.

Plus there's a terrifically smart lady, a confused plumber, and a murder machine in a tutu.

Easily one of the best things I have read in 2016