[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I'm about halfway through Jy Yang's The Black Tides of Heaven. It's a quick read, smoothly propelled by their effortlessly elegant prose.

Quote

Darkness had fallen like a cool hand onto the peaks of Chengbee's exhausted, perspiring roofs. As the Head Abbot mounted step after step, his robes clung to him: under his arms, in the small of his back. The moon rolled uncloaked across the naked sky, but in less than an hour, the sun would return to scorch the land, bringing with it the start of the next waking day. On good days the nighttime exhalations of the capital city took on a lively air, the kind of energy that gathers where the young and restless cluster around the bones of something old. But all summer Chengbee had lain listless, panting like a thirsty dog."

I'm sweating already...

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 04 December 2017 - 01:19 PM

[Abyss]

Finished rererereading DHL and back into Mark Lawrence's WHEEL OF OSHEIM... earbook version. On book 3 now, about 30% in. Love this trilogy so much.

In ebook i'll get back into Wooding's ACE OF SKULLS soon but was distracted by that last kindle DC comic sale and picked up the Legion of Super-Heroes GREAT DARKNESS SAGA and THE CURSE. Classic stuff this.

In dead tree nope.

[T77]

Abyss, on 04 December 2017 - 02:58 PM, said:

Finished rererereading DHL and back into Mark Lawrence's WHEEL OF OSHEIM... earbook version. On book 3 now, about 30% in. Love this trilogy so much.

In ebook i'll get back into Wooding's ACE OF SKULLS soon but was distracted by that last kindle DC comic sale and picked up the Legion of Super-Heroes GREAT DARKNESS SAGA and THE CURSE. Classic stuff this.

In dead tree nope.

Started The Great Darkness Saga last night, good to hear you liked it.

Finished The Stone Sky and thought it was very good.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

STARTING DEADHOUSE. SO EXCITED.

EDIT: No gods or ascendants in the dramatis personae 🤔

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 06 December 2017 - 01:10 PM

[Andorion]

Reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight. D&D is a totally unknown area for me, so this is new stuff. Also reading Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik.

About 770 pages into His Dark Materials. The second book really hit hard, things are really dark at the moment.

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 06 December 2017 - 01:31 PM, said:

Reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight. D&D is a totally unknown area for me, so this is new stuff.

This series was my entry to fantasy as a youth (I think I was about 11 or 12 when I read it). The second book (DRAGONS OF THE WINTER NIGHT) was like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for me for quality level.

It's classic, prototypical fantasy in a lot of regards so don't expect anything too outlandish (the sequel trilogy handles that)...but what it does, it does well.

The second series is also very good (LEGENDS trilogy) and is a classic.

The third major series (WAR OF THE SOULS trilogy) was completed a fair while later, and is not AS good...but still enjoyable if you like the world Weis and Hickman brought to life.

Anyways, Enjoy!

And there's always Laurana. She may have been a youthful book crush.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 06 December 2017 - 01:41 PM

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 06 December 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

Andorion, on 06 December 2017 - 01:31 PM, said:

Reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight. D&D is a totally unknown area for me, so this is new stuff.

This series was my entry to fantasy as a youth (I think I was about 11 or 12 when I read it). The second book (DRAGONS OF THE WINTER NIGHT) was like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for me for quality level.

It's classic, prototypical fantasy in a lot of regards so don't expect anything too outlandish (the sequel trilogy handles that)...but what it does, it does well.

The second series is also very good (LEGENDS trilogy) and is a classic.

The third major series (WAR OF THE SOULS trilogy) was completed a fair while later, and is not AS good...but still enjoyable if you like the world Weis and Hickman brought to life.

Anyways, Enjoy!

And there's always Laurana. She may have been a youthful book crush.

Thanks for the info QT! So far I quite like it.

Also I really liked the first book of the Death Gate cycle. Is it set in the same world?

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 06 December 2017 - 02:29 PM, said:

Also I really liked the first book of the Death Gate cycle. Is it set in the same world?

Nope different worlds.

[Mentalist]

QuickTidal, on 06 December 2017 - 01:41 PM, said:

Andorion, on 06 December 2017 - 01:31 PM, said:

Reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight. D&D is a totally unknown area for me, so this is new stuff.

This series was my entry to fantasy as a youth (I think I was about 11 or 12 when I read it). The second book (DRAGONS OF THE WINTER NIGHT) was like THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for me for quality level.

It's classic, prototypical fantasy in a lot of regards so don't expect anything too outlandish (the sequel trilogy handles that)...but what it does, it does well.

The second series is also very good (LEGENDS trilogy) and is a classic.

The third major series (WAR OF THE SOULS trilogy) was completed a fair while later, and is not AS good...but still enjoyable if you like the world Weis and Hickman brought to life.

Anyways, Enjoy!

And there's always Laurana. She may have been a youthful book crush.

Before the War of Souls there's also "Dragonsof Summer Flame" , which is Chronicles book 4, and quite good (it covers the Chaos War).

Then there's a "transition period" which Weis and Hickman only briefly touched on in "The Second Generation" , giving back stories to all the main characters of War of Souls. But the actual "Big Changes" were described by Jean Rabe in 2 trilogies.

War of Souls starts out really well, but then the big reveal kinda spoils the whole thing. It's not terrible by any means, but just not what you'd expect.

-ment, former Dragonlance affictionado.

In other news: Tyranny of the Night is awesome. It's like Middle Ages, with a big focus on the Albigensian/Cathar wars (which I always felt was one of the most interesting episodes of the Medieval history), but there's also magic, which *might* be keeping the world from succumbing to a new Ice Age; then a discovery that guns can kill sorcerers and Gods and other magic beasties; and then there's the time-travelling vikings.

Needless to say, I'm loving it. It's like "Song of Arbonne" in parts of its setting, but then there's all that other awesome stuff I mentioned.

In commute, "Katabasis" is actually pretty good, too, there's buildup for the Battle of the Ice between Alexander Nevsky and the Teutonic Livonian order, tinged with a lot of Slavic mysticism. It's always interesting when Westerners take stuff I consider fairy-tales and try to elevate that to "epic mythos" status.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 06 December 2017 - 04:25 PM

[Salt-Man Z]

Really enjoying Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. The plot is kinda meandering at this point (literally!) but I'm really digging the characters.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 06 December 2017 - 02:46 PM, said:

Andorion, on 06 December 2017 - 02:29 PM, said:

Also I really liked the first book of the Death Gate cycle. Is it set in the same world?

Nope different worlds.

Yep.

Just personal preference but I've always thought DEATH GATE was better than Dragonlance.

[worry]

Finished Authority by Jeff VanderMeer. So good. Liked it more than Annihilation, which I already liked a lot.

Spoiler

It does some of the going-crazy-with-the-protagonist stuff as the first book...if not quite as otherworldly, for obvious reasons. But then there are a few punchlines that REALLY hit hard: Control realizing he's being hypnotized all this time. Control seeing a motley crew of weirdos outside a convenience store or something putting dogfood on the sidewalk -- I still don't understand what was going on there, but it is sticking with me anyway. Control finding Whitby's room up the ladder (that was some A+ horror). And Control reaching for the door and feeling living ("breathing") flesh.

Now onto The Subtle Knife reread.

[Chance]

Mentalist, on 06 December 2017 - 04:24 PM, said:

In other news: Tyranny of the Night is awesome. It's like Middle Ages, with a big focus on the Albigensian/Cathar wars (which I always felt was one of the most interesting episodes of the Medieval history), but there's also magic, which *might* be keeping the world from succumbing to a new Ice Age; then a discovery that guns can kill sorcerers and Gods and other magic beasties; and then there's the time-travelling vikings.

Its the best cook has written even if I have a huge amount of nostalgia for The Black Company and it just gets better as it gets going...

This post has been edited by Chance: 07 December 2017 - 12:11 AM

[Macros]

Is this part of the instrumentality of nights or whatever it's called by cook?

Is that a complete series now?

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 06 December 2017 - 09:06 PM, said:

Finished Authority by Jeff VanderMeer. So good. Liked it more than Annihilation, which I already liked a lot.

Spoiler

IControl finding Whitby's room up the ladder (that was some A+ horror).

This is the STANDOUT moment in the entire book for me. It's SO insidiously done. It's perfection.

[champ]

Totally random but reading Dead House Landing after reading Oathbringer... fuck me, what a difference. OB chugs along at a sedate pace whilst DHL is full on meep, meep!

Such a difference in styles and in page turning quality... plot development compared to needless filler.

Give me a read of 400 pages in total but all of those pages are hell yeah quality compared to a book of 1200 pages with 400 pages in total within it that are of quality...

DHL has finally convinced me to start another main series reread, it has been a couple of years since my last one...

I picked up my copy of GotM and realised that it won't fully survive another read so it's to the Kindle instead. The book can sit proudly in retirement on the shelf, you have served me well, good sir!

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 04 December 2017 - 02:58 PM, said:

Finished rererereading DHL and back into Mark Lawrence's WHEEL OF OSHEIM... earbook version. On book 3 now, about 30% in. Love this trilogy so much.
...

At the midpoint.

Holy.

Fuck.

The middle of this book is like one long series of DID I JUST READ THAT moments.

[QuickTidal]

champ, on 07 December 2017 - 07:17 PM, said:

Totally random but reading Dead House Landing after reading Oathbringer... fuck me, what a difference. OB chugs along at a sedate pace whilst DHL is full on meep, meep!

Such a difference in styles and in page turning quality... plot development compared to needless filler.

Give me a read of 400 pages in total but all of those pages are hell yeah quality compared to a book of 1200 pages with 400 pages in total within it that are of quality...

DHL has finally convinced me to start another main series reread, it has been a couple of years since my last one...

I picked up my copy of GotM and realised that it won't fully survive another read so it's to the Kindle instead. The book can sit proudly in retirement on the shelf, you have served me well, good sir!

I just want to agree with ALL of this up to and including the desire for a full Malazan series re-read.

Abyss, on 07 December 2017 - 07:19 PM, said:

Abyss, on 04 December 2017 - 02:58 PM, said:

Finished rererereading DHL and back into Mark Lawrence's WHEEL OF OSHEIM... earbook version. On book 3 now, about 30% in. Love this trilogy so much.
...

At the midpoint.

Holy.

Fuck.

The middle of this book is like one long series of DID I JUST READ THAT moments.

*whispers* Just wait till the end.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 07 December 2017 - 07:21 PM

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 07 December 2017 - 07:20 PM, said:

champ, on 07 December 2017 - 07:17 PM, said:

Totally random but reading Dead House Landing after reading Oathbringer... fuck me, what a difference. OB chugs along at a sedate pace whilst DHL is full on meep, meep!

Such a difference in styles and in page turning quality... plot development compared to needless filler.

Give me a read of 400 pages in total but all of those pages are hell yeah quality compared to a book of 1200 pages with 400 pages in total within it that are of quality...

DHL has finally convinced me to start another main series reread, it has been a couple of years since my last one...

I picked up my copy of GotM and realised that it won't fully survive another read so it's to the Kindle instead. The book can sit proudly in retirement on the shelf, you have served me well, good sir!

I just want to agree with ALL of this up to and including the desire for a full Malazan series re-read.

Abyss, on 07 December 2017 - 07:19 PM, said:

Abyss, on 04 December 2017 - 02:58 PM, said:

Finished rererereading DHL and back into Mark Lawrence's WHEEL OF OSHEIM... earbook version. On book 3 now, about 30% in. Love this trilogy so much.
...

At the midpoint.

Holy.

Fuck.

The middle of this book is like one long series of DID I JUST READ THAT moments.

*whispers* Just wait till the end.

I can't even begin to guess how this is going to end but i'm loving the trip there.

Seriously, Lawrence killed it with this trilo. THORNS was good, but this is just a whole other level. I keep almost jumping back to the beginning of the thing happening in the middle to read/listen again, then something else happens that utterly propels the story fwd too hard to stop. Jalan is a great great pov character.

[Chance]

Macros, on 07 December 2017 - 06:27 PM, said:

Is this part of the instrumentality of nights or whatever it's called by cook?

Is that a complete series now?

Yes and Kind off...it is at a pretty good end point and no more novels are likely I think.