[QuickTidal]

OMW is good (and Scalzi hadn't yet starting rehashing himself at that point) It's arguably his only really GOOD book, with the others in the series falling shorter and shorter of the first. It's very much Starship Troopers-like.

LEVIATHAN WAKES on the other hand is VERY good, and was one of my fave reads from last year. Cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel (CALIBAN'S WAR) later this month.

[Serenity]

 QuickTidal, on 01 June 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

OMW is good (and Scalzi hadn't yet starting rehashing himself at that point) It's arguably his only really GOOD book, with the others in the series falling shorter and shorter of the first. It's very much Starship Troopers-like.

LEVIATHAN WAKES on the other hand is VERY good, and was one of my fave reads from last year. Cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel (CALIBAN'S WAR) later this month.

Thanks QT, I'll definitely get Leviathan Wakes then

[Salt-Man Z]

 QuickTidal, on 01 June 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

OMW is good (and Scalzi hadn't yet starting rehashing himself at that point) It's arguably his only really GOOD book, with the others in the series falling shorter and shorter of the first.

I'd say all four books of the OWM series are very good, but the first is easily the best, and there's a drop in greatness with each subsequent novel.

[QuickTidal]

 Salt-Man Z, on 01 June 2012 - 03:17 PM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 01 June 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

OMW is good (and Scalzi hadn't yet starting rehashing himself at that point) It's arguably his only really GOOD book, with the others in the series falling shorter and shorter of the first.

I'd say all four books of the OWM series are very good, but the first is easily the best, and there's a drop in greatness with each subsequent novel.

My main bother with Scalzi (other than his attitude) is with ZOE'S TALE and THE LOST COLONY being the same story told from different POV's...if he wanted multiple POV's he could have written one stellar book, instead of two mediocre ones.

GHOST BRIGADES was good, but not as good as OMW and it's main redeeming quality was its villain who was greyer than grey.

[Salt-Man Z]

Did you the afterword to Zoe's Tale? Scalzi hadn't planned to write a fourth book, but when he got the opportunity, he used to clear up some of the issues that Lost Colony. I liked going back and revisiting Lost Colony with a fresh perspective; it gives a much different feeling than merging the two into a single book would have.

And yeah, Ghost Brigade is really good; I'd put it just behind OMW. The opening chapter reversal was brilliant.

[QuickTidal]

 Salt-Man Z, on 01 June 2012 - 03:48 PM, said:

Did you the afterword to Zoe's Tale? Scalzi hadn't planned to write a fourth book, but when he got the opportunity, he used to clear up some of the issues that Lost Colony. I liked going back and revisiting Lost Colony with a fresh perspective; it gives a much different feeling than merging the two into a single book would have.

Yeah, I read that. I didn't really buy it all that much. Just like I'm not buying his defense of REDSHIRTS being 3 codas. I dunno, the more I listen to Scalzi, the more full of himself I think he is.

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth I guess.

But yeah, both OMW and GB are worth reading...LOST COLONY is not really on par with those other two.

[Captain Beardface]

Just finished WoT book 6 Lord of Chaos, now onto book 7 A Crown of Swords... Hopefully it won't take as long to read but I did stop and read Fiest's Magician: Aprentice & Magician: Master about 300 pages into Lird of Chaos

[yuna_anomander25]

half-way down to the hunger games 1, taking it slow, real slow, could have finished it in an all-nighter, but still i'm enjoying it,

[Nocturnal]

The Hare With Ember Eyes by Edmund de Waal, have to say it's different from anything I've read so far.

[amphibian]

 QuickTidal, on 01 June 2012 - 04:05 PM, said:

Yeah, I read that. I didn't really buy it all that much. Just like I'm not buying his defense of REDSHIRTS being 3 codas. I dunno, the more I listen to Scalzi, the more full of himself I think he is.

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth I guess.

But yeah, both OMW and GB are worth reading...LOST COLONY is not really on par with those other two.

I don't know why you react so strongly to Scalzi. Fuzzy Nation was very well written and a much better reworking of the original. The Old Man's War books were all pretty great, even Zoe's Tale. Consider it a condensed, young adult version of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books with the Ringworld aliens thrown in as well.

[QuickTidal]

I guess I was just very underwhelmed by LOST COLONY and then ZOE's TALE felt like the laziest of lazy to me. I kept thinking as I read it "Why didn't he just include this POV in LOST COLONY as well as the main POV?" So as a reader that bugs me.

Just my opinion though. It's less "strong" as you put it and moreover simply comes from a confluence of diminishing returns (IMHO) in his fiction and the fact that he seems to think he's king sh*t of the sci-fi world and he's not really. His twitter feed may as well be called "Look at me! I'm so awesome!"...but then I guess everyone's twitter feed could be construed that way. LOL

On topic. Finished up my read of Tolkien's THE SILMARILLION (stellar, one of the best books I've ever read) with a full review coming tomorrow...and after a trip to the store I've started in on Gemmell's LORD OF THE SILVER BOW...I'm a big historical fiction fan and Troy is something I've always wanted to read about. After that I will be continuing with my year of Tolkien with UNFINISHED TALES.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 03 June 2012 - 06:44 PM

[Serenity]

I finished Old Man's War, thought it was pretty good and left me wanting to read the next one. Now reading Jack Whyte's The Skystone, which I'm really enjoying so far.

[Salt-Man Z]

Finished up The Silmarillion last night and it was amazing! I can't believe that for 20 years I assumed it was dry and dull; certainly it wasn't always an easy read, but man it was just epic.

Taking a brief break from Middle-earth to read Guy Kay's Tigana alongside the "Sword & Laser" podcast.

[QuickTidal]

 Salt-Man Z, on 04 June 2012 - 03:12 PM, said:

Finished up The Silmarillion last night and it was amazing! I can't believe that for 20 years I assumed it was dry and dull; certainly it wasn't always an easy read, but man it was just epic.

Agreed! I can't believe I put it off for so long when it was THAT awesome.

Plus knowing things like who Gandalf and Saruman really are, why the Elves decided to go into the West ect....it all makes sense now!

Fave bit.

Spoiler

Fingolfin's challenging of Morgoth to one on one combat at the gates of Angband...followed closely by Finrod's last stand at Nargothrond, and then the Fall of Gondolin

[Baco Xtath]

Finished Sailing to Sarantium last night; it was very good and I'm looking forward to the next book. Also, finished listening to Name of the Wind and am about 6hrs into Wise Man's Fear. I think listening to these books probably beats reading them; the narrator is fantastic. He really nails the prose and his Ambrose(?) indignation voice makes me laugh out loud. If I were to describe these books to someone, I'd have to say they are an adults' Harry Potter, though that really doesn't do them justice. The prose is a bit purple, Kvothe's metaphors sometimes make me cringe, but it is beautiful, like a painting played on a lute for a blind man to see:)

Next I'm going to read Angelmaker before moving on with the Sarantine Mosaic.

[JPK]

Finished up The Light Fantastic and Equal Rites over the few days. Really enjoying the flavor of Discworld now, and I can't believe I waited this many years to start this series. I'm also slowly making progress in A Betrayal in Winter (it's just that Discworld is slightly easier to read during breaks during my graveyards) and I must admit that I love both the idea and the flavor of the Andat.

[Aptorian]

The cold commands by Richard Morgan. That guy really has a potty mouth. I wonder if there is a fantasy subgenre that could be coined dirty fantasy.

[QuickTidal]

 Aptorius, on 04 June 2012 - 07:49 PM, said:

The cold commands by Richard Morgan. That guy really has a potty mouth. I wonder if there is a fantasy subgenre that could be coined dirty fantasy.

Historically, Chaucer had a potty mouth. It's nothing new.

[pat5150]

Just finished Brandon Sanderson's forthcoming novella, Legion. Considering the length of his novels, I had certain doubts about Sanderson writing short fiction. And yet, Legion is the introduction to what could be the author's most fascinating work to date!

Check out the blog for the full review...

Cheers,

Patrick

[QuickTidal]

Nearly 200 pages into Gemmell's LORD OF THE SILVER BOW, and damn if it isn't really engrossing! I enjoyed LEGEND (the only other Gemmell book I've reaD), but I was never blown away by it...but so far this book is really impressing me.