[Abyss]

i cannot disagree w JPK re this, that moment is staggering. I'd argue against it being just for shock's sake, it fits the story, but it hits hard then and in the repercussions. Dark Age in general hits the reader like a slap more than once. I loved the book, but i won't ever say it's light reading. It's an MoI/Empire Strikes Back kind of work.

The fridging early in bk 1 is as blunt as it seems. It isn't pointless but it is simplistic and per upthread that was just the first time i almost dropped the book. Still glad i didn't.

QT you could read the first trilo and stop. I suspect you may not want to stop there because honestly the series just gets wilder. I suppose the question is whether to go ahead knowing that one scene is out there - and to be clear it is one scene, in the series to date nothing else like that happens or compares to it, but it is brutal.

I remember the start of NK Jemisin's BROKEN EARTH that threw you (and many many other people i know of) right out of the book, did you ever go back and read those?

[Tiste Simeon]

I honestly wish I'd stopped after book 3 because it ends well, and now my view of the series as a whole is tainted a little bit. But I acknowledge I'm in the minority here!

[Abyss]

After the glorious journey that was NLF, i needed something a little less deep. The very satisfying SUPERMAN movie and a drift through Spotify's freebies gave me SUPERMAN: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY, by Glen Weldon. I know my comics history, but the author does a very nice job of folding the character's origins into the wider events in the US and world at the time. He did the research an isn't afraid to through around theories, including his own, where the story is less clear. He goes well beyond the comics into the radio shows, tv, movies, all the way up to the announcement of the recent movie. The delivery is entertainingly informative, I picked up a lot i didn't know, and the occassional joke or sarcasm are well placed. Fun read, worth a try.

Next was this....

Abyss, on 17 September 2024 - 02:30 PM, said:

You know I'm a fan of Peter Clines... he got me w his EX-HEROES superheroes v zombies books, but his THRESHOLD and related books are among my fave thriller/sf reads now and an automatic pre-order.

I just pre-ordered the earbook for an anthology titled COMBAT MONSTERS, primarily for his story because i find most anthologies disappointing, but am intrigued by the concept and at least a couple of other authors in there i know to be good.

More intriguing to me tho, is that the short story is about his characters 'Carter & Kraft'. Here's what i know about Carter & Kraft: Clines writes them, they're set during WW2, and he's written an unclear number of short stories about them, maybe 3.

Three minutes ago I found the first one - 'Banner of the Bent Cross' - easily, it's in a cheap anthology titled KAIJU RISING... and i need to check when i get home later because i think i already own it. A minute ago i found the second - 'Projekt Maria' in something titled MECH: AGE OF STEEL - not so cheap, am skeptical whether it's worth a whole audible credit, but will see - and now i'm a little obsessed w finding the rest of these... because Peter Clines writing weird war WW2 stories is something i want need...

ETA ok it seems the three i've identified are all of them. Proceeding w acquisition.

...you know me, my feelings about anthologies slant negative. This was... better than most, in the sense that i enjoyed most of the stories and only DNF'd three. There are some very clever ideas... a New Zealand Maori squad dodging tanks and monsters during the desert campaign, an immortal British assassin teaming up with werewolves in occupied France to prevent Nazi necromancers leaning the secrets of lycanthropy, a really fun take on the Russian all-women pilots squadron. Cline's entry was satisfying, too brief vs his novels but fun in a zombies vs nazis at sea kind of way.


And then back to the world of Jorath for The 13th Paladin bk 10, THE GREEN SEA, which was fun despite the painfully blunt thinly veiled American Indigenous people analogy prairie culture. The action is especially well written in this one and the end is so striking i went straight ahead into bk 11 CITY OF CUTTHROATS.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 26 November 2025 - 03:15 PM, said:

i cannot disagree w JPK re this, that moment is staggering. I'd argue against it being just for shock's sake, it fits the story, but it hits hard then and in the repercussions. Dark Age in general hits the reader like a slap more than once. I loved the book, but i won't ever say it's light reading. It's an MoI/Empire Strikes Back kind of work.

The fridging early in bk 1 is as blunt as it seems. It isn't pointless but it is simplistic and per upthread that was just the first time i almost dropped the book. Still glad i didn't.

QT you could read the first trilo and stop. I suspect you may not want to stop there because honestly the series just gets wilder. I suppose the question is whether to go ahead knowing that one scene is out there - and to be clear it is one scene, in the series to date nothing else like that happens or compares to it, but it is brutal.

I admit I'm wiling to endure bleak stuff...so I may keep going, and feel it out as I go. I'm glad of the trigger warning though as if I came across that just in passing without knowing about it ahead of time...it probably would have made me chuck the book against the wall.

Abyss, on 26 November 2025 - 03:15 PM, said:

I remember the start of NK Jemisin's BROKEN EARTH that threw you (and many many other people i know of) right out of the book, did you ever go back and read those?

No, but that one also had tense issues that bugged me. I may go back to it one day, but I'm not fussed any time soon.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: Today, 03:39 PM

[worry]

Tense tension can be intense.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 26 November 2025 - 03:38 PM, said:

Abyss, on 26 November 2025 - 03:15 PM, said:

i cannot disagree w JPK re this, that moment is staggering. I'd argue against it being just for shock's sake, it fits the story, but it hits hard then and in the repercussions. Dark Age in general hits the reader like a slap more than once. I loved the book, but i won't ever say it's light reading. It's an MoI/Empire Strikes Back kind of work.

The fridging early in bk 1 is as blunt as it seems. It isn't pointless but it is simplistic and per upthread that was just the first time i almost dropped the book. Still glad i didn't.

QT you could read the first trilo and stop. I suspect you may not want to stop there because honestly the series just gets wilder. I suppose the question is whether to go ahead knowing that one scene is out there - and to be clear it is one scene, in the series to date nothing else like that happens or compares to it, but it is brutal.

I admit I'm wiling to endure bleak stuff...so I may keep going, and feel it out as I go. I'm glad of the trigger warning though as if I came across that just in passing without knowing about it ahead of time...it probably would have made me chuck the book against the wall.

Yeah the second i read JPK's post i was nodding. I remember having a surreal 'did that just happen?' reaction.

Quote

Abyss, on 26 November 2025 - 03:15 PM, said:

I remember the start of NK Jemisin's BROKEN EARTH that threw you (and many many other people i know of) right out of the book, did you ever go back and read those?

No, but that one also had tense issues that bugged me. I may go back to it one day, but I'm not fussed any time soon.

I enjoyed the way she played w that and as the series advances it starts to make more sense as a literary device, but it does take some getting used to.

[JPK]

Abyss, on 26 November 2025 - 05:30 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 26 November 2025 - 03:38 PM, said:

Abyss, on 26 November 2025 - 03:15 PM, said:

i cannot disagree w JPK re this, that moment is staggering. I'd argue against it being just for shock's sake, it fits the story, but it hits hard then and in the repercussions. Dark Age in general hits the reader like a slap more than once. I loved the book, but i won't ever say it's light reading. It's an MoI/Empire Strikes Back kind of work.

The fridging early in bk 1 is as blunt as it seems. It isn't pointless but it is simplistic and per upthread that was just the first time i almost dropped the book. Still glad i didn't.

QT you could read the first trilo and stop. I suspect you may not want to stop there because honestly the series just gets wilder. I suppose the question is whether to go ahead knowing that one scene is out there - and to be clear it is one scene, in the series to date nothing else like that happens or compares to it, but it is brutal.

I admit I'm wiling to endure bleak stuff...so I may keep going, and feel it out as I go. I'm glad of the trigger warning though as if I came across that just in passing without knowing about it ahead of time...it probably would have made me chuck the book against the wall.

Yeah the second i read JPK's post i was nodding. I remember having a surreal 'did that just happen?' reaction.

QT, I was mostly thinking of some of the posts you've made recently regarding bleak content. I know that with context all of us here can handle it. I mean, we've all Witnessed some truly awful stuff in Malazan. That said, I've definitely found that as I've been getting older that that specific type of violence is really difficult for me and it's seemed to hit you the same way. I do agree with Abyss that the second half of the series is worth it though and Red God is one I'll start the day it drops.

Speaking of bleak, I've decided it's time to go back for another Cormac McCarthy novel with No Country for Old Men. I'm only a chapter in but loving it already. He really did have a way of writing that just sucks my attention into the story. It's interesting seeing that he's playing with some similar writing techniques here that he used on The Road with the dialogue but I'm wondering if it's going to work as well here as there are more characters involved that could be speaking.

[Macros]

The hobbling made me want to set down Eriksons work and never pick it up again.
I will never reread anything beyond RG (my dislike of TTH is separate but the last two books, nope fuck you Steve)

[JPK]

I get it, Macros. That scene is fucking awful and I didn't blame you for throwing in the towel. It's far from the first bit of bleakness in the series though. It really starts in DG and just never stops.

We all have our limits though. Over in the classics thread, I've mentioned that I've had to DNF two of the more modern novels this year due to content. Now, I have a hard time remembering the last time I've had to DNF a book but both of these ended up with

Spoiler

detailed on page sexual assault of a child

. Now, both authors had interesting themes they were exploring that kept me engaged right up until I hit those sections. After that, didn't matter what point there were time to make, I was out and have no intention to pick up another novel by either author.