[Morgoth]

Aptorian, on 29 November 2021 - 07:10 AM, said:

Just finished P. Djeli Clark's "A Master of Djinn". The first full length novel in his Clockpunk Cairo universe.

Really good story. Great mix of urban fantasy and police mystery. A bit too predictable perhaps and I'd have liked more exploration of the setting but very enjoyable overall. Surprisingly woke too, for an early 1900s Cairo, with out getting obnoxious.

I'd say the biggest weakness the book has is that the story telegraphs a lot of the plot, through the efficient way it uses the characters and elements. There's a school of thought in writing that you shouldn't introduce a character or object unless you plan on using it directly in your story. That's a smart way of keeping your story lean but not a great tactic when you're writing detective fiction and not including red herrings.

I'd say this series has the potential to be a new and better rival to Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant/Rivers of London books.

I also liked that book. As you say, it was a little too easy to figure out the villain right away, but I loved the colourful and vibrant Cairo. I wish there was a lot more books like this taking place in cities that are not western.

[End of Disc One]

JPK, on 23 November 2021 - 09:22 PM, said:

Next up is THE AIR WAR by Tchaikovsky. You've all managed to hype this up rather highly and I hope it can live up to it.

FWIW I thought this forum overhyped this book. I started to get tired of the battles by the end. Warmaster's Gate is easily my favorite of the later Apt books.

[Chance]

Finished the Last Graduate and this series is one of my favorites the last years. It's not exactly high art but it is extremely compelling

For a very short while I thought about what to read next but Leviathan Falls was kind of the only choice.

This post has been edited by Chance: 02 December 2021 - 07:30 PM

[Macros]

Finished Fall of Babel.

Fairly solid landing at the end and a great book though out

[Aptorian]

Finished the second Horus Heresy book, False Gods.

It was better than the first book but overall I feel like these books are subpar. They're not well written and complex enough to be a satisfying drama and there's not enough over the top action to make up for the writing shortcomings.

Thankfully the books are short. So I'll at least finish the first volume of five books. Hopefully over time the books will grow.

Also read Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club. Didn't like it at first, I feel like the danish translation didn't do the author's style of writing justice and the telling if the story is very whimsical.

The whole book reads like a vehicle to pitch a TV series or a movie and predictably I can see the rights have already been picked up. Good for Osman I guess.

The story itself is not much of a mystery but I think that's also the point. It's the easy going nature of the town and elderly characters that is the attraction. I started out frustrated but the more I read, the more I enjoyed the process and it managed to really pull my heartstrings at the end.

I'll definitely read the sequel when it comes out here.

Started up a reread of the Jean le Flambeur sci-fi trilogy by Hannu Rajaneimi. I read the first two books a decade ago but never read the last book and I forgot pretty much everything in the enterim.

Starting up the first book The Quantum Thief I'm reminded of how much I loved this book. It's hard sci-fi mixed with ideas that are so creative that it becomes more like weird fantasy. Like reading Dan Simmons Hyperion books by way of China Mieville's hand book

[JPK]

I just finished Leviathan Falls. I'm torn about the ending here. It's an appropriate ending for the story they decided to tell. Fair warning, the pace is definitely a bit off and it takes until the second half to pick up and start going anywhere. If you've liked the series through book 8, you'll likely be happy with the finale. I still think books 1, 2, and 5 were the best in the series.

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 05 December 2021 - 06:35 PM, said:

Finished the second Horus Heresy book, False Gods.

It was better than the first book but overall I feel like these books are subpar. They're not well written and complex enough to be a satisfying drama and there's not enough over the top action to make up for the writing shortcomings.

Thankfully the books are short. So I'll at least finish the first volume of five books. Hopefully over time the books will grow.

I found that the books started out with a reasonably coherent, well thought out setting with interesting characters, and by the end of the fifth everyone was either EEEEEVIL or noble and depressed.

Quote

Started up a reread of the Jean le Flambeur sci-fi trilogy by Hannu Rajaneimi. I read the first two books a decade ago but never read the last book and I forgot pretty much everything in the enterim.

Starting up the first book The Quantum Thief I'm reminded of how much I loved this book. It's hard sci-fi mixed with ideas that are so creative that it becomes more like weird fantasy. Like reading Dan Simmons Hyperion books by way of China Mieville's hand book

I loved this trilogy. I had mixed feelings about book 2 by adored 1 and 3 was such a satisfying finale that i can forgive some philosophical meandering in the middle.

Arriving at the end of FALL OF BABEL and... yeah... solid landing.

[Aptorian]

Abyss, on 08 December 2021 - 04:57 AM, said:

Aptorian, on 05 December 2021 - 06:35 PM, said:

Finished the second Horus Heresy book, False Gods.

It was better than the first book but overall I feel like these books are subpar. They're not well written and complex enough to be a satisfying drama and there's not enough over the top action to make up for the writing shortcomings.

Thankfully the books are short. So I'll at least finish the first volume of five books. Hopefully over time the books will grow.

I found that the books started out with a reasonably coherent, well thought out setting with interesting characters, and by the end of the fifth everyone was either EEEEEVIL or noble and depressed.

The whole "I'm righteously evil!" thing is already in full swing in book 2. 99% of the spacemarines have suddenly decided that clearly everyone else is weak and not cool like they are, so clearly outright villainy is the only solution. Meanwhile I'm sitting there "Show them the evil sword mcguffin as proof of the bad guys evil ways!" but nothing happens.

It of course also seems a bit foreshadowing when all your characters are called things like Angron, Abbaddon, Mortarion, etc.

[Macros]

I would say that develops a bit beyond that, the first few books are showcasing the guys that go all out maniacal evil straight out, which is part of the ridiculousness that is WH40K. Later books (just finished #29) do show how some of the other legions get sucked into it, and how chaos is a slippery slope that sucks them in slowly, they "rebel" based on lies presented to them or grudges they bear, but evil, evil finds a way....

[Aptorian]

Macros, on 08 December 2021 - 12:31 PM, said:

I would say that develops a bit beyond that, the first few books are showcasing the guys that go all out maniacal evil straight out, which is part of the ridiculousness that is WH40K. Later books (just finished #29) do show how some of the other legions get sucked into it, and how chaos is a slippery slope that sucks them in slowly, they "rebel" based on lies presented to them or grudges they bear, but evil, evil finds a way....

Oh sure, I understand this is all theatre for the cartoonish ludicrous Galactic War that we all long for, but some of it is really thin.

Like, I could understand it if there was some scenes showing the bad guys hiding psychic beacons pumping Chaos propaganda into the Marines psyche, maybe that their secret lodge medals were actually corrupting them slowly, something like that. It's a bit much that these SUPER FANATICAL warriors - who've thought for the emperor, sometimes alongside the emperor, for centuries - suddenly turn on a dime when somebody over dinner tells them that the Emperor is actually a liar and every one is actually against them. I'd like juuust a smidge more nuance and less "trust me" from the side of authors.

[Tiste Simeon]

I, umm... Sheesh, ok... I just found the first 12 Wheel of Time books on my Kindle, plus the prequel one. Didn't know they were there (when I got it, someone loaded a bunch of stuff on there to get me started and I never fully looked into what exactly I have on there...)

I'm tempted you guys. Is it worth it? Debating launching myself into it...

[Abyss]

Aptorian, on 08 December 2021 - 02:05 PM, said:

Macros, on 08 December 2021 - 12:31 PM, said:

I would say that develops a bit beyond that, the first few books are showcasing the guys that go all out maniacal evil straight out, which is part of the ridiculousness that is WH40K. Later books (just finished #29) do show how some of the other legions get sucked into it, and how chaos is a slippery slope that sucks them in slowly, they "rebel" based on lies presented to them or grudges they bear, but evil, evil finds a way....

Oh sure, I understand this is all theatre for the cartoonish ludicrous Galactic War that we all long for, but some of it is really thin.

Like, I could understand it if there was some scenes showing the bad guys hiding psychic beacons pumping Chaos propaganda into the Marines psyche, maybe that their secret lodge medals were actually corrupting them slowly, something like that. It's a bit much that these SUPER FANATICAL warriors - who've thought for the emperor, sometimes alongside the emperor, for centuries - suddenly turn on a dime when somebody over dinner tells them that the Emperor is actually a liar and every one is actually against them. I'd like juuust a smidge more nuance and less "trust me" from the side of authors.

Subtle, it was not.
My minor annoyance - i was not expecting Bakker level duplicity from WarHammer - was that they tried to add nuance early on, with the interesting histories and the relatonships between the Emperor and his inner circle and the developing religious aspects and then jettisoned it for DEMONS WHAT DEMONS? WE HAVE BIG GUNS WITH CHAINSAWS AND WANT TO USE THEM, ALSO SWORDS SO MUCH SWORDS, SWORDS THAT HAVE GUNS WOOHOOOO.

Tiste Simeon, on 08 December 2021 - 04:54 PM, said:

I, umm... Sheesh, ok... I just found the first 12 Wheel of Time books on my Kindle, plus the prequel one. Didn't know they were there (when I got it, someone loaded a bunch of stuff on there to get me started and I never fully looked into what exactly I have on there...)

I'm tempted you guys. Is it worth it? Debating launching myself into it...

Try it. You'll know quickly enough if you want to keep going.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 08 December 2021 - 05:03 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 08 December 2021 - 04:54 PM, said:

I, umm... Sheesh, ok... I just found the first 12 Wheel of Time books on my Kindle, plus the prequel one. Didn't know they were there (when I got it, someone loaded a bunch of stuff on there to get me started and I never fully looked into what exactly I have on there...)

I'm tempted you guys. Is it worth it? Debating launching myself into it...

Try it. You'll know quickly enough if you want to keep going.

I'll add in that while I feel like the later books suffer and the ending wasn't exactly all I wanted it to be....the first like 4-5 books were VERY good.

[James Hutton]

Tiste Simeon, on 08 December 2021 - 04:54 PM, said:

I, umm... Sheesh, ok... I just found the first 12 Wheel of Time books on my Kindle, plus the prequel one. Didn't know they were there (when I got it, someone loaded a bunch of stuff on there to get me started and I never fully looked into what exactly I have on there...)

I'm tempted you guys. Is it worth it? Debating launching myself into it...

You can always launch yourself right outta there if you don't like 'em!
I'd say you can skip them if you've got other stuff you're interested in. But that's just an opinion.

[Morgoth]

James Hutton, on 08 December 2021 - 06:46 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 08 December 2021 - 04:54 PM, said:

I, umm... Sheesh, ok... I just found the first 12 Wheel of Time books on my Kindle, plus the prequel one. Didn't know they were there (when I got it, someone loaded a bunch of stuff on there to get me started and I never fully looked into what exactly I have on there...)

I'm tempted you guys. Is it worth it? Debating launching myself into it...

You can always launch yourself right outta there if you don't like 'em!
I'd say you can skip them if you've got other stuff you're interested in. But that's just an opinion.

In my opinion The Wheel of Time is fundamentally average in todays fantasy landscape, but was amongst the best back when it came out. It starts fairly weak, grows progressively stronger, and then crashes into a joyless slog around book 7 or so.

[Tiste Simeon]

I'm just enjoying the show and feel like I'd quite enjoy it. I think I'll give it a go when I've finished my current few books I'm on...

[Imperial Historian]

Morgoth, on 09 December 2021 - 09:34 AM, said:

James Hutton, on 08 December 2021 - 06:46 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 08 December 2021 - 04:54 PM, said:

I, umm... Sheesh, ok... I just found the first 12 Wheel of Time books on my Kindle, plus the prequel one. Didn't know they were there (when I got it, someone loaded a bunch of stuff on there to get me started and I never fully looked into what exactly I have on there...)

I'm tempted you guys. Is it worth it? Debating launching myself into it...

You can always launch yourself right outta there if you don't like 'em!
I'd say you can skip them if you've got other stuff you're interested in. But that's just an opinion.

In my opinion The Wheel of Time is fundamentally average in todays fantasy landscape, but was amongst the best back when it came out. It starts fairly weak, grows progressively stronger, and then crashes into a joyless slog around book 7 or so.

Pretty much, except it does improve again towards the end. I'd never recommend someone read it, but I wouldn't stop someone reading it as long as they know that 7-10 is a real slog.

[Aptorian]

I remember trying out the Wheel of Time series 10-15 years ago and getting frustrated by book 3.

Every book suffered from the same problem. Stuff is set up at the start, then a whole lot doesn't happen for the next 400 pages and then a lot happens during the last 50-100 pages. Very unsatisfactory. I remember starting the third book and the first 100 pages was nothing but retelling what happened in the past two books. Decided that life was too short to find out whether the series improved over the next 5000 pages.

[Tsundoku]

My suggestion is properly read the first 5 (esp 5 - The Fires of Heaven, my favourite),
mostly read 6 (some threads can be skimmed),
read the summaries for 7-10, and
then get back and properly read 11-14. 11 is where RJ got back on track and then 12-14 are Brandon Sanderson.

So I guess Maark is out for those last three but the rest of you might enjoy as they're a lot more concise ...

[JPK]

Working on Warmaster's Gate - Shadows of the Apt book 6. Happy to see the away team returning. As this is the penultimate book in the series, I'm expecting some big things with this one.

I realized I never checked in after finishing book 8. It lived up to the hype for me, though perhaps not for the reason so many others seemed to love it. Yes, it's a very action-oriented book and Tchaikovsky really does excell at writing battles, but it was the focus on the flies that really sealed it for me. They're essentially a race of dnd rogues and I adore each and every one of them in the series.