[JPK]

Tiste Simeon, on 24 January 2023 - 10:42 PM, said:

JPK, on 24 January 2023 - 07:37 PM, said:

I've been listening to Touch by Claire North. I'm about 25% in now.

Spoiler

It's an interesting concept and a nice spin on possession, but I'm finding myself disengaged because I find Kepler to be rather dislikeable. I haven't disliked a protagonist this much in awhile.

Interesting. That's my favourite of her books, I don't remember feeling that way. I hope you enjoy it!

I did end up enjoying the story in spite of my dislike of Kepler. It's a credit to North that I can like the story while being uncomfortable with the protagonist.

Spoiler

I think my dislike of Kepler was by design though. The story makes excellent arguments about how Kepler is a total asshole through Janus and Coil at different points.

[polishgenius]

I read The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, by Shehan Karunatilaka, a book about atrocities in Shri Lanka in the 80s explored by way of a sort of whodunnit by the ghost of a photographer trying to solve his own murder. Obviously not the first book with this premise, but it does it quite well, and it manages to be entertaining as well as covering a really serious, intense subject. I do think it's oddly unfocused for a book that so obviously has specific things to say, though. Like maybe it either needed a bit less going on, or to be longer. Anyway, it was alright.


Now I started something much more my (and this forum's) usual speed, Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans, a debut from last year. I've only just started, but it seems to be just the kind of magical, roguish derring-do we enjoy. Shaping up to be a romp.

[Tiste Simeon]

JPK, on 27 January 2023 - 10:11 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 24 January 2023 - 10:42 PM, said:

JPK, on 24 January 2023 - 07:37 PM, said:

I've been listening to Touch by Claire North. I'm about 25% in now.

Spoiler

It's an interesting concept and a nice spin on possession, but I'm finding myself disengaged because I find Kepler to be rather dislikeable. I haven't disliked a protagonist this much in awhile.

Interesting. That's my favourite of her books, I don't remember feeling that way. I hope you enjoy it!

I did end up enjoying the story in spite of my dislike of Kepler. It's a credit to North that I can like the story while being uncomfortable with the protagonist.

Spoiler

I think my dislike of Kepler was by design though. The story makes excellent arguments about how Kepler is a total asshole through Janus and Coil at different points.

I'll be honest it's been a few years since I read it so I'm guessing I've forgotten most of it! Happy to reread though. I'll add it to the pile that I'm meant to be shrinking hah.

[polishgenius]

I think my main problem with Touch was that North came up with this great concept and setting and set of characters, but I'm not sure she ever really found a proper point to it all. Like in Harry August, there's a very clear focus on the relationship between Harry and the antagonist, and how Harry feels about what the antagonist wants. In Touch,

Spoiler

I never really felt Galileo was a convincing main enemy; the relationship between them and Kepler felt forced. The old guy was a far more interesting character, I don't think he needed to be supplanted. And the ending was just random as shit for me.

[worry]

Finished Senlin. Not the most exciting book I’ve ever read but I’ve got no big complaints either. I appreciate that he’s kind of a wiener but it’s not super cynical about it, it’s just how he is at the beginning of things. He’s kinda like Wesley from the Buffyverse rather than like a White Lotus character, which is how I feared it might go. Anyway, ‘pretty good’ and will continue.
Also I recently learned Dark Horse is adapting Assassin’s Apprentice and got the first two issues. It’s pretty on the money so far but is apparently just a six issue mini series of the first book? Sounds impossible to do and I’m hoping inaccurate. More like a trial run to keep going I hope.

[Abyss]

worry, on 28 January 2023 - 02:58 PM, said:

Finished Senlin. Not the most exciting book I've ever read but I've got no big complaints either. I appreciate that he's kind of a wiener but it's not super cynical about it, it's just how he is at the beginning of things. He's kinda like Wesley from the Buffyverse rather than like a White Lotus character, which is how I feared it might go. Anyway, 'pretty good' and will continue.

Senlin's whiny'ness and naivete in the face of the blatantly obvious is part of what didn't work for me. I can appreciate it's all setup, and he does more or less get his shit together as the short stories in bk 1 progress, but 'protag insists what's right in front of him cannot be' is a trope i've never taken to.


That said, Senlin's character arc utterly improves from bk 2 on, so if it ranked 'pretty good' for you i think you'll enjoy what's ahead. Literally (pun intended) EVERYTHING improves.

[worry]

That’s what I like to hear! I’m hoping to do one a month, as I tackle other stuff between, but if the rest are more exciting from the get go I might even finish ahead of schedule.

[polishgenius]

polishgenius, on 27 January 2023 - 11:45 PM, said:

Now I started something much more my (and this forum's) usual speed, Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans, a debut from last year. I've only just started, but it seems to be just the kind of magical, roguish derring-do we enjoy. Shaping up to be a romp.

Finished this. It's more or less exactly the book you'd expect something with that title, and with the cover that it has, to be. Just a joyous stew of all the things we enjoy in a city-based fantasy, with some added interdimensional action. Corking.




Now I started Second Spear, by Kerstin Hall, the sequel to her previous, Border Keeper. Don't remember that as well as I thought, might have to skim back before continuing. Hall does atmosphere in spades, though. And mystery is part of the point, so hey ho.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 30 January 2023 - 03:19 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

With terms like Derring-do, Romp and Corking in your write ups, I'm sold!

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 30 January 2023 - 08:02 AM

[Tsundoku]

Takes you back to your glory days at your famous prep school back in the 1920s, doesn't it?

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 30 January 2023 - 12:09 PM

[Aptorian]

Finished Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune yesterday. Like Cerulean Sea it's a wonderful book.

Cozy fiction I think the genre is called. And it is very sweet and low risk. It should how ever also come with a warning that it'll reduce you to a blubbering mess if you're a softie.

I had to switch back to Warhammer Eisenhorn on the commute, så the other passengers didn't have to watch me cry into my phone.

Eisenhorn Hereticus is turning into a disappointing mess. This books plot is even worse than the last one. This Dan Abnett fellow, if it wasn't for the WH40K setting I'm not sure I'd bother with him.

[Tiste Simeon]

Tsundoku, on 30 January 2023 - 12:09 PM, said:

Takes you back to your glory days at your famous prep school back in the 1920s, doesn't it?

Well yes but that does worry me that I might have to get into cricket though...

[polishgenius]

After finishing Second Spear (it was cool), I started Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi but it was extremely irritating. So I stopped, and started The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings, a New-Orleans-based Jazz urban fantasy, which is not.

[Macros]

Just finished Ashes of the Sun, by Wexler.

he does write good action sequences. He's created an interesting world with a history thats, well sure we've seen it before but.., got enough about it to keep peoples motivations believable.

I'll be picking up book 2 at least

[Tiste Simeon]

So

I'm ploughing my way through the Rivers of London series on audiobook and utterly loving it. Currently heading towards the end of FOXGLOVE SUMMER which has possibly been my favourite so far. I picked up (from the library, I've not broken my NY resolution) the dead tree versions of the two novellas, WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER and THE FURTHEST STATION which I understand are the next two chronologically.

Will read them while waiting for my next Audible credit to drop. Does anyone know how many full length novels there are going to be?

[Chance]

It took a very long time to finish part two of Ash and Sands for the only reason that I haven't been listening much recently, but Kings of Ash is one fine book liking this series a lot so far. Going for part three directly this one will go quicker I'm far behind on the reading so far this year.

[Aptorian]

Tiste Simeon, on 02 February 2023 - 12:19 PM, said:

So

I'm ploughing my way through the Rivers of London series on audiobook and utterly loving it. Currently heading towards the end of FOXGLOVE SUMMER which has possibly been my favourite so far. I picked up (from the library, I've not broken my NY resolution) the dead tree versions of the two novellas, WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER and THE FURTHEST STATION which I understand are the next two chronologically.

Will read them while waiting for my next Audible credit to drop. Does anyone know how many full length novels there are going to be?

As of the latest Rivers of London book, it's completely open. He could write 50 more with the current set up.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Aptorian, on 02 February 2023 - 05:24 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 02 February 2023 - 12:19 PM, said:

So

I'm ploughing my way through the Rivers of London series on audiobook and utterly loving it. Currently heading towards the end of FOXGLOVE SUMMER which has possibly been my favourite so far. I picked up (from the library, I've not broken my NY resolution) the dead tree versions of the two novellas, WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER and THE FURTHEST STATION which I understand are the next two chronologically.

Will read them while waiting for my next Audible credit to drop. Does anyone know how many full length novels there are going to be?

As of the latest Rivers of London book, it's completely open. He could write 50 more with the current set up.

The rumor is 500 more.

[Aptorian]

I would read all of them.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 03 February 2023 - 06:49 AM

[Aptorian]

Finished the third Eisenhorn book by Dan Abnett.

Somehow an even worse plot than the second book. Abnett is not a strong enough author to sell the significance of Eisenhorns choices in this book.

Anyone read the fourth and last Eisenhorn novel? If I didn't like book 2 and 3 much, will the fourth serve as a satisfying conclusion?