[Slow Ben]

Graablick said:

1354145138[/url]' post='1013593']
Thats a real problem. I have to check out this Jim Butcher soon.

Is that a joke? I hope it's a joke. It sounds like a joke.
If not.
RUN TO YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE AND PURCHASE STORM FRONT NOW!
Don't walk, dont go to the bathroom first, don't put shoes on, don't ponder whether you can afford it, don't waist another friggin millisecond.
Go Now!!!

[QuickTidal]

 The Incredible Kitsu, on 28 November 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

Well shit. I have a dilemma. Bitter Seeds, Cold Days, Red Country, AND Blood And Bone all came in the mail today. Too much to choose from!

If I can recommend a pathway: COLD DAYS then BITTER SEEDS then RED COUNTRY then BLOOD AND BONE

I have spoken.

[Baco Xtath]

Just got Rise of Ransom City in the mail today but I'm actually going to save it for the week of Christmas because I'm almost through with Bridge of Birds, Whitechapel Gods, and Against a Dark Background. I've spent way to long on these and I want to just finish them. Plus that'll make Christmas even better. Also I'm about 5 hrs into Pandora's Star audiobook by Peter F. Hamilton; it's pretty good so far but I find it a bit harder to follow sci-fi vs. fantasy when I'm working out, shopping, and doing whatever else - but I have fond memories of Thirte3n, Market Forces, and Dune so I'll soldier on and hopefully knock this out as well as Judas Unchained before A Memory of Light comes out (though whether I'll be reading or listening to this I've yet to decide).

[Ukjent]

 Slow Ben, on 29 November 2012 - 12:26 AM, said:

 Graablick, on 28 November 2012 - 11:25 PM, said:

Thats a real problem. I have to check out this Jim Butcher soon.

Is that a joke? I hope it's a joke. It sounds like a joke.
If not.
RUN TO YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE AND PURCHASE STORM FRONT NOW!
Don't walk, dont go to the bathroom first, don't put shoes on, don't ponder whether you can afford it, don't waist another friggin millisecond.
Go Now!!!

I shall see what they have.


On the topic, I'm currently reading City of Ruin and its just what I expected.

[Morgoth]

I finished the Quantum Thief, which was mindblowingly awesome, and have now stepped lightly into Blood and Bone.

[Use Of Weapons]

 Morgoth, on 29 November 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

I finished the Quantum Thief, which was mindblowingly awesome, and have now stepped lightly into Blood and Bone.

Then you must must must read _The Fractal Prince_ as soon as humanly possible. It is even better, and frankly I thought that would be impossible -- but Rajaniemi pulls it off.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Just finished Fragile Things by Gaiman. Simply amazing. I'm not usually a fan of anthologies but they were terrific, had me hooked from the first paragraph. Took a while for it to pick up speed but it was well worth it. The one about the kid who becomes an assassin for Mr Alice was badass. And of course, Monarch of the Glen, where we saw our old friend Shadow from American Gods! Almost giggled when I got up to that story.

Now what? Maybe Red Country, when I can afford it.

[Salt-Man Z]

Ripping through A Storm of Swords. Can't put this bad boy down. The next two books really can't be that big a dropoff in quality, can they?

Also started in on RotCG for the second time, for the Tor.com reread. I swear, that prologue's my favorite thing ICE has ever written.

[Abyss]

 The Incredible Kitsu, on 28 November 2012 - 09:53 PM, said:

Well shit. I have a dilemma. Bitter Seeds, Cold Days, Red Country, AND Blood And Bone all came in the mail today. Too much to choose from!

i am utterly astounded that you aren't curled in a ball, gently rocking yourself.

 Slow Ben, on 29 November 2012 - 12:26 AM, said:

 Graablick, on 28 November 2012 - 11:25 PM, said:

... I have to check out this Jim Butcher soon.

Is that a joke? I hope it's a joke. It sounds like a joke.
If not.
RUN TO YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE AND PURCHASE STORM FRONT NOW!
Don't walk, dont go to the bathroom first, don't put shoes on, don't ponder whether you can afford it, don't waist another friggin millisecond.
Go Now!!!

I'd go one further and say pick up STORM FRONT, FOOL MOON and GRAVE PERIL

And then....

 Use Of Weapons, on 29 November 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

 Morgoth, on 29 November 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

I finished the Quantum Thief, which was mindblowingly awesome, and have now stepped lightly into Blood and Bone.

Then you must must must read _The Fractal Prince_ as soon as humanly possible. It is even better, and frankly I thought that would be impossible -- but Rajaniemi pulls it off.

These have been on my radar for a while. Noted.

 Salt-Man Z, on 29 November 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

Ripping through A Storm of Swords. Can't put this bad boy down. The next two books really can't be that big a dropoff in quality, can they?
...

*sighs*

...but best to make up your own mind. Opinions vary.

[worry]

I like them, and I'm always right, so what does that tell you?

[Defiance]

Concerning A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons:

Obviously, opinions differ. I have a friend who swears A Dance with Dragons is the best book he's ever read, but he's also told me that about half the Dark Tower books, the one Malazan book that he's read, and quite a few other things (it also extends beyond books; I hear about a new best video game ever every few months).

Personally, I didn't think the books were terrible. They're a lot better than most stuff out there. However, compared to the fantastic quality of the first three books (which, in my opinion, only really suffered when the "exotic" eastern cultures were brought in...GRRM is king when it comes to having an amazing European-type culture, but when it comes to some of the cities Dany visits the cultures never felt alive like all the ones in Malazan do), they're definitely a few steps down. There just doesn't seem to be the amount of direction that the first 3 had.

[Nocturnal]

Finally I have enough time to read again.
Took me forever to finish The Lies of Locke Lamora, it just went downwards in the second half for me. I kinda wanted it to be more lighthearted and all about the thieving/hustling instead of the added tragedy, drama and revenge. I absolutely loved the universe of the book, Camor and its glass towers and bridges are amazing.
And I also finished This Book Is Full of Spiders. Slight disappointment here too. I expected it to have more awkward humor and less Lovecraftian gore and beasties like the first book. And is it just me or is David even more cynical and grim here? John also has OOC moments, but Amy's character took turn for the better. Oh, loved Anna too, should've been there from the beginning.
Now, I'm into Baccano!: Blood Sabbath and A Clash of Kings, finally!

[worry]

Awnaw hell naw man y'all gone up and done it.

[acesn8s]

 Salt-Man Z, on 29 November 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

Ripping through A Storm of Swords. Can't put this bad boy down. The next two books really can't be that big a dropoff in quality, can they?

Also started in on RotCG for the second time, for the Tor.com reread. I swear, that prologue's my favorite thing ICE has ever written.

ASoS is epic. Best book of the series. Feast and Dance are still great books. Martin didn't pull a Crossroads at Twilight with them, but Storm... wow. You should at some point after finishing Storm, go back to Clash and see the breadcrumb trail he laid down.

[QuickTidal]

 acesn8s, on 30 November 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

 Salt-Man Z, on 29 November 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

Ripping through A Storm of Swords. Can't put this bad boy down. The next two books really can't be that big a dropoff in quality, can they?

Also started in on RotCG for the second time, for the Tor.com reread. I swear, that prologue's my favorite thing ICE has ever written.

ASoS is epic. Best book of the series. Feast and Dance are still great books. Martin didn't pull a Crossroads at Twilight with them, but Storm... wow. You should at some point after finishing Storm, go back to Clash and see the breadcrumb trail he laid down.

The problem is with ASOS being the high point of the story for the first half....AFFC and ADWD suffer from being the clean-up after the party...while interesting, things don't really move forward again till late in ADWD....They are not bad, just pale in comparison with the absolute, batshit EPICness of ASOS.

[Gothos]

Best Served Cold.

[polishgenius]

As much as aSoS does great things, it's also where the problems that start to get really obvious in Feast and Dance first show their faces - too many cliffhanger chapter endings, shock tactics for the sake of it, lack of control of pacing between the big events.

Don't get me wrong though, it's a really good book. Just not as good as aGoT, which is close to a genuine masterpiece.

Not sure why being the quite time after the party means the book should be of lesser quality. Hell, Ghost Story is exactly that to Changes and it was fucking awesome. But that's because Butcher knows how to plan shit out.

[QuickTidal]

 polishgenius, on 30 November 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

As much as aSoS does great things, it's also where the problems that start to get really obvious in Feast and Dance first show their faces - too many cliffhanger chapter endings, shock tactics for the sake of it, lack of control of pacing between the big events.

Don't get me wrong though, it's a really good book. Just not as good as aGoT, which is close to a genuine masterpiece.

Not sure why being the quite time after the party means the book should be of lesser quality. Hell, Ghost Story is exactly that to Changes and it was fucking awesome. But that's because Butcher knows how to plan shit out.

As rarely as we agree PG...I totally agree that as a book that will be remembered, AGOT has more on me than ASOS. For me ASOS is the high water mark, but I think AGOT is a more superior and tightly paced book.

Huh, we agree. Red letter day! Call the parade masters.

[polishgenius]

A fitting marker for the occasion...

[yuna_anomander25]

FINALLY finished with Last Argument of Kings, that took quite some time, and now i have a few comments and questions,

i have never liked Bayaz, ever since,

Spoiler

and now i find him more evil than all the villains put together, i actually wanted Logen & Ferro to knock him senseless, when they talked with him,

i find the ending a little anti-climactic, but i know that it paved the way for the plot for the next books, Best Served Cold, The Heroes & Red Country,

but question:
is Ferro's story resolved in the stand-alone books, or will it be resolved in the next 3 books,
if it is RAFO, then good, but if it wasn't touched in the stand-alones then i will wait for it in the next trilogy,