Malazan Empire: Reading at t'moment? - Malazan Empire

Jump to content

  • 1485 Pages +
  • « First
  • 401
  • 402
  • 403
  • 404
  • 405
  • Last »
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

Reading at t'moment?

#8041 User is offline   worry 

  • Master of the Deck
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 14,692
  • Joined: 24-February 10
  • Location:the buried west

Posted 09 March 2012 - 08:27 PM

I'm starting My Antonia. A little Willa Cather never hurt anyone.
They came with white hands and left with red hands.
0

#8042 User is offline   Darkwatch 

  • A Strange Human
  • Group: The Most Holy and Exalted Inquis
  • Posts: 2,190
  • Joined: 21-February 03
  • Location:MACS0647-JD
  • 1.6180339887

Posted 09 March 2012 - 11:01 PM

Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds.
The Pub is Always Open

Proud supporter of the Wolves of Winter. Glory be to her Majesty, The Lady Snow.
Cursed Summer returns. The Lady Now Sleeps.

The Sexy Thatch Burning Physicist

Τον Πρωτος Αληθη Δεσποτην της Οικιας Αυτος

RodeoRanch said:

You're a rock.
A non-touching itself rock.
0

#8043 User is offline   Orlion 

  • Captain
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 196
  • Joined: 26-January 11
  • Interests:Amontillado Tofu.

Posted 09 March 2012 - 11:29 PM

The Mask of Cthulhu- August Derleth
0

#8044 User is offline   wade 

  • more interesting African Swallow of Low House PEN
  • Group: Tehol's Blissful Chickens
  • Posts: 208
  • Joined: 02-June 11

Posted 10 March 2012 - 07:22 AM

Wheel of Time: The Great Hunt. Hopefully will get this finished by the time House of Chains arrives.
0

#8045 User is offline   Mentalist 

  • Martyr of High House Mafia
  • Group: High House Mafia
  • Posts: 9,622
  • Joined: 06-June 07
  • Location:'sauga/GTA, City of the Lion
  • Interests:Soccer, Chess, swimming, books, misc
  • Junior Mafia Mod

Posted 10 March 2012 - 08:21 AM

Finished the third Gap book.

where the first was essentially a sci-fi criminal thriller, the second a "world-exposition" book, the third really ramps things up. Donaldson weaves the plot, with betrayals, reversals of fortune and special interests piling up one on top of another, and the scope grows, with the introduction of the Earth plotline. And all the psychological torment of, well...... every single character, and especially the question of how will they all cope now....

Gonna take a break from this awesome series, though, because I picked up OST today, and well, nothing trumps Malaz on the reading list.
The problem with the gene pool is that there's no lifeguard
THE CONTESTtm WINNER--чемпіон самоконтролю

View PostJump Around, on 23 October 2011 - 11:04 AM, said:

And I want to state that Ment has out-weaseled me by far in this game.
1

#8046 User is offline   Dutch 

  • Bridgeburner
  • Group: Team Quick Ben
  • Posts: 371
  • Joined: 19-October 08
  • Location:The Netherlands
  • Interests:Malazan Book of the Fallen, American Football, Quick Ben

Posted 10 March 2012 - 01:16 PM

Reading Chronicles of the Black Company at the moment.

Just 88 pages in, but I have already ordered the books of the South, Return of the Black Company and the many deaths of the Black Company.

That much I'm liking it.
Sappers have a saying, he muttered. "Wide eyed stupid"
0

#8047 User is offline   Hound 

  • Lieutenant
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 109
  • Joined: 18-December 10
  • Location:The Netherlands

Posted 10 March 2012 - 03:07 PM

At the moment reading The Breach by Patrick Lee. After that continuing with Ghost Country. So far I like it :p

Also purchased the Black Company novels. Looking forward to reading that!

Edit: I love this forum for all the book recommendations.
Thus far never been disappointed (other wise I would never have read Butcher, Abercrombie, Sanderson, GG Kay etc.), so thanks!

This post has been edited by Hound: 10 March 2012 - 03:14 PM

0

#8048 User is offline   HiddenOne 

  • Mortal Sword
  • Group: High House Mafia
  • Posts: 1,174
  • Joined: 29-May 10

Posted 10 March 2012 - 03:57 PM

Just finished OST, really liked it, phooey on the nay-sayers in that thread :p


Now reading "The Darkness that Comes Before" my first book by Bakker. Writing style seems good (it's his 1st novel I think) - story needs to get moving a bit better. Some of you Bakker fabs can reassure me at this point...
HiddenOne. You son of a bitch. You slimy, skulking, low-posting scumbag. You knew it would come to this. Roundabout, maybe. Tortuous, certainly. But here we are, you and me again. I started the train on you so many many hours ago, and now I'm going to finish it. Die HO. Die. This is for last time, and this is for this game too. This is for all the people who died to your backstabbing, treacherous, "I sure don't know what's going on around here" filthy lying, deceitful ways. You son of a bitch. Whatever happens, this is justice. For me, this is justice. Vote HiddenOne Finally, I am at peace.
0

#8049 User is offline   Dutch 

  • Bridgeburner
  • Group: Team Quick Ben
  • Posts: 371
  • Joined: 19-October 08
  • Location:The Netherlands
  • Interests:Malazan Book of the Fallen, American Football, Quick Ben

Posted 10 March 2012 - 05:06 PM

I finished OST last Tuesday, found it quite entertaining and enjoyable.


Perhaps if you already have low expectations because you see quite some of those threads flying around before you start reading it yourself, your own findings about the book can concur with what others say or you can think, where the hell were the others talking about?
I'm liking it a lot.
Sappers have a saying, he muttered. "Wide eyed stupid"
0

#8050 User is offline   Hound 

  • Lieutenant
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 109
  • Joined: 18-December 10
  • Location:The Netherlands

Posted 10 March 2012 - 05:16 PM

I found Orb, Sceptre, Throne quite a quick, enjoyable read compared to some other Malazan novels. Some things could have been handled better (the ending for example), but it didn't really bother me.
0

#8051 User is offline   Dutch 

  • Bridgeburner
  • Group: Team Quick Ben
  • Posts: 371
  • Joined: 19-October 08
  • Location:The Netherlands
  • Interests:Malazan Book of the Fallen, American Football, Quick Ben

Posted 10 March 2012 - 06:40 PM

I kinda forgot who was reading Magician by Feist, but if you like it allot I can also recommend Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon, Prince of the Blood and the Kings Buccaneer. The first two being a part of the Riftwar Saga if I remember correctly, been over a year since I last read them and I don't own them yet myself.

The Serpentwar saga (consisting of Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, Rage of a Demon King and Shards of a Broken Crown) is also quite enjoyable, except for Shards that one felt kind of really rushed.



But the biggest recommendation besides Silverthorn and a Darkness at Sethanon is the Empire Trilogy by By Feist and Janny Wurts, Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the Empire which takes place on Kelewan, the home world of the Tsurani.
Sappers have a saying, he muttered. "Wide eyed stupid"
0

#8052 User is offline   QuickTidal 

  • Lord of the Waters
  • Group: Team Quick Ben
  • Posts: 21,370
  • Joined: 05-November 05
  • Location:At Sea?
  • Interests:DoubleStamping. Movies. Reading.

Posted 11 March 2012 - 01:32 AM

That was me Dutch, and I've got a few more Feist books ready to rock, and I'll read his and Wurts Tsurani series as well.

Mid-way through BLADE OF TYSHALLE, crazy depressing at points, but very very solid.

Also started Susan Hill's THE WOMAN IN BLACK (yes the basis of that movie) as it is a novella and seems spooky.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora

"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
0

#8053 User is offline   MTS 

  • Fourth Investiture
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 4,334
  • Joined: 02-April 07
  • Location:Terra Australis

Posted 11 March 2012 - 02:29 AM

The Empire series is probably the best thing that Feist and Wurts have ever written. Just pure brilliance.

Oh, and once you read Shards of a Broken Crown, just stop. It's not worth it going any further.
Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.

Si hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter educatus et nimis propinquus ades.
0

#8054 User is offline   Mentalist 

  • Martyr of High House Mafia
  • Group: High House Mafia
  • Posts: 9,622
  • Joined: 06-June 07
  • Location:'sauga/GTA, City of the Lion
  • Interests:Soccer, Chess, swimming, books, misc
  • Junior Mafia Mod

Posted 11 March 2012 - 04:57 AM

Finished OST.
I liked it. Like all of ICE's works (except RotCG), it lacks the scope of MBotF, but I enjoyed the story.

some things confused me (these will be discussed in the appropriate subforum), but overall, the story made good sense. The ending was somewhat anticlimatic, but fully in line with the Malaz world.

up next is probably the 4th Gap book by Donaldson.
The problem with the gene pool is that there's no lifeguard
THE CONTESTtm WINNER--чемпіон самоконтролю

View PostJump Around, on 23 October 2011 - 11:04 AM, said:

And I want to state that Ment has out-weaseled me by far in this game.
0

#8055 User is offline   QuickTidal 

  • Lord of the Waters
  • Group: Team Quick Ben
  • Posts: 21,370
  • Joined: 05-November 05
  • Location:At Sea?
  • Interests:DoubleStamping. Movies. Reading.

Posted 11 March 2012 - 03:04 PM

I'm a little blown away at just how charmingly written and compulsively readable Susan Hill's THE WOMAN IN BLACK is. I'm loving it! I'm into it enough to check out her other books now too.
"When the last tree has fallen, and the rivers are poisoned, you cannot eat money, oh no." ~Aurora

"Someone will always try to sell you despair, just so they don't feel alone." ~Ursula Vernon
0

#8056 User is offline   Dolorous Menhir 

  • God
  • Group: Wiki Contributor
  • Posts: 4,550
  • Joined: 31-January 06

Posted 11 March 2012 - 05:32 PM

Mentalist, the Gap series is an amazing work just for the level of sustained tension.

View PostHiddenOne, on 10 March 2012 - 03:57 PM, said:

Just finished OST, really liked it, phooey on the nay-sayers in that thread :p


Now reading "The Darkness that Comes Before" my first book by Bakker. Writing style seems good (it's his 1st novel I think) - story needs to get moving a bit better. Some of you Bakker fabs can reassure me at this point...


I'm definitely not one of his fans, but I can say that the series gets worse, not better. Whether you like it or not will depend on your taste and preferences.
0

#8057 User is offline   amphibian 

  • Ribbit
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 8,003
  • Joined: 28-September 06
  • Location:Upstate NY
  • Interests:Hopping around

Posted 11 March 2012 - 06:17 PM

View PostDolorous Menhir, on 11 March 2012 - 05:32 PM, said:

I'm definitely not one of his fans, but I can say that the series gets worse, not better. Whether you like it or not will depend on your taste and preferences.

Define "worse". You're doing a disservice to a fairly well respected author here by slamming the series in a drive-by.

If I'm going to object to something and tell people about it, I'm giving them exactly what I disliked about it and the reasons why that all adds up to something I don't recommend buying if you share similar tastes to mine.

I do admit that I rather like Bakker's Prince of Nothing work - although I do not much like Bakker the human being. The writing shows an admirable quality of being near-completely resistant of anticipation, well paced and an imaginatively put together world, history and future.
I survived the Permian and all I got was this t-shirt.
0

#8058 User is offline   Use Of Weapons 

  • Soletaken
  • View gallery
  • Group: Malaz Regular
  • Posts: 2,237
  • Joined: 06-May 03
  • Location:Manchester, UK
  • Interests:Writing. Martial arts. Sport. Music, playing and singing, composition.

Posted 11 March 2012 - 08:52 PM

Would have to agree with amphibian -- Bakker is a solid writer, with flashes of spectacular world-building and characterisation.

I'm currently reading the second Riyria omnibus.
It is perfectly monstrous the way people go about nowadays saying things against one, behind one's back, that are absolutely and entirely true.
-- Oscar Wilde
0

#8059 User is offline   polishgenius 

  • Heart of Courage
  • Group: LHTEC
  • Posts: 5,247
  • Joined: 16-June 05

Posted 11 March 2012 - 09:30 PM

I think Bakker is ace, and gets better as he progresses. The first three books are indeed pretty slow going in parts with a heavy focus on character angst and philosophical debate, but when they do get moving they go to some pretty impressive places and I thought were definitely worth the effort. The first two books in the second trilogy I thought were absolutely fantastic- struck a better balance between plot and philosophy and improved the writing as a whole. He's about the top of the list as far as ongoing epic fantasies go, for me. If it keeps going at this level the Second Apocalypse would match Malazan as a whole, probably. If it keeps improving... then it's going to be some ride.
I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.
0

#8060 User is offline   Mentalist 

  • Martyr of High House Mafia
  • Group: High House Mafia
  • Posts: 9,622
  • Joined: 06-June 07
  • Location:'sauga/GTA, City of the Lion
  • Interests:Soccer, Chess, swimming, books, misc
  • Junior Mafia Mod

Posted 11 March 2012 - 11:34 PM

I think I preferred PoN to the Aspect Emperor Books.

Bakker is an impressive writer, but I find myself generally dissatisfied with his pacing. and I strongly dislike Kelhus, as a character.

On the other hand, he's put a solid effort into his world-building, and although (imho) he lacks the scope of Malazan, that very fact makes his world feel "tighter" and more believable.

so, I'd argue there are both pros and Cons to Bakker's writing. whether you like him or not will probably be strongly influenced by what exactly you prefer to have in your fantasy.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 11 March 2012 - 11:34 PM

The problem with the gene pool is that there's no lifeguard
THE CONTESTtm WINNER--чемпіон самоконтролю

View PostJump Around, on 23 October 2011 - 11:04 AM, said:

And I want to state that Ment has out-weaseled me by far in this game.
0

Share this topic:


  • 1485 Pages +
  • « First
  • 401
  • 402
  • 403
  • 404
  • 405
  • Last »
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

8 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 8 guests, 0 anonymous users