[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

Well I just finished Perdido Street Station, which I thought was brilliant. Although the first half dragged just a little, Mieville keeps you interested to find out where everything's leading. It picks up massively in the second half, though, and the last three chapters or so were incredible.

Looking forward to picking up The Scar, now, but first I'll be reading AMoL. I don't get too much time during the week but I'm sure I'll be able to finish that by the end of the weekend. I'm excited to read it yet kind of dreading finishing it, in equal measures...

[Mentalist]

Pennywise, on 08 January 2013 - 11:35 PM, said:

I'm currently working on Blood Rites, the sixth novel in the infamous Dresdencrack series. Unfortunately, work has been getting in the way quite a lot lately, so I've only just made it to chapter 13 - Harry versus the bean-curd pizza.

So far though, good stuff! The twist regarding Harry's connection to Thomas has already been spoiled for me, but I'm still eager to see the road leading up to it.

One thing I love about this series is how the endings are always spectacular and rewarding, with plenty of cinematic boomboom to boot. Let's tally (in my limited experience with the series so far):

Spoiler

Storm Front: OMG SCORPIONS!
Fool Moon: Harrywolf!
Grave Peril: Did he really just start a war over a girl? Have we learned nothing from Troy (apart from Orlando Bloom's shocking lack of acting talent)
Summer Knight: Another war! Also, pizza.
Death Masks: Train heist! And a massive grin when Marcone showed up with the mobchopper

Though I personally consider Death Masks to be the single greatest Dresden novel from start to finish, you are in for some mind-blowing epic setpiece endings in Dead Beat and Changes , to name just a few.

given I have no class reading this week (yet), i'm gonna try to read as much as I can from "War of the Mage" quadro by Perumov, while the previous books are still fresh in my head.

[amphibian]

Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast, on 09 January 2013 - 12:08 AM, said:

Well I just finished Perdido Street Station, which I thought was brilliant. Although the first half dragged just a little, Mieville keeps you interested to find out where everything's leading. It picks up massively in the second half, though, and the last three chapters or so were incredible.

Looking forward to picking up The Scar, now, but first I'll be reading AMoL. I don't get too much time during the week but I'm sure I'll be able to finish that by the end of the weekend. I'm excited to read it yet kind of dreading finishing it, in equal measures...

I consider The Scar to be one of the greatest achievements in literature, however it too has a bit of a slow beginning as it introduces the cold fish protagonist that is Bellis Coldwine. I have read it probably ten or eleven times and it continues to amaze me with its artistry.

Iron Council is pretty good too. I now slot it above Perdido in the inter-trilogy rankings.

[amphibian]

Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast, on 09 January 2013 - 12:08 AM, said:

Well I just finished Perdido Street Station, which I thought was brilliant. Although the first half dragged just a little, Mieville keeps you interested to find out where everything's leading. It picks up massively in the second half, though, and the last three chapters or so were incredible.

Looking forward to picking up The Scar, now, but first I'll be reading AMoL. I don't get too much time during the week but I'm sure I'll be able to finish that by the end of the weekend. I'm excited to read it yet kind of dreading finishing it, in equal measures...

I consider The Scar to be one of the greatest achievements in literature, however it too has a bit of a slow beginning as it introduces the cold fish protagonist that is Bellis Coldwine. I have read it probably ten or eleven times and it continues to amaze me with its artistry.

Iron Council is pretty good too. I now slot it above Perdido in the inter-trilogy rankings.

[QuickTidal]

Just over 100 pages into AMOL...jeebus fucksticks it's already so damned good!

It's 10:30PM and I have to work tomorrow...but I just had a moment when I contemplated staying up for a number of hours and just devouring...

[Abyss]

Just finished Warren Ellis ' GUN MACHINE.
Now i realize why i dont like most crime novels... It's because Ellis didn’t write them. Great book, fast read, worth your time and money.

AMOL is up next. Psyched!

[Ukjent]

Was planing to read just the first chapter or two of Summer Knight before I went to sleep. But no, I read 2/5 of the book and are now late for school, bah.

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

Briar King, on 09 January 2013 - 03:51 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 09 January 2013 - 03:33 AM, said:

Just over 100 pages into AMOL...jeebus fucksticks it's already so damned good!

It's 10:30PM and I have to work tomorrow...but I just had a moment when I contemplated staying up for a number of hours and just devouring...

I've only had maybe a solid hr to sit and read since 12pm. I'm on pg 50.

Got about 20 pages in on the train, this morning...

[Pennywise]

Mentalist, on 09 January 2013 - 12:16 AM, said:

Though I personally consider Death Masks to be the single greatest Dresden novel from start to finish, you are in for some mind-blowing epic setpiece endings in Dead Beat and Changes , to name just a few.

(It seems something went wrong with my last post, but alas)

I have heard great things about Dead Beat (unfortunately the whole

Spoiler

Sue-thing

has already been spoiled for me). I was sceptical about the popular opinion that the Dresden Files keep getting better as the series progresses, but so far that does seem to be the case. Butcher really does pull out all stops for his finales, and the scale of the narrative has just been growing and growing. Harry's a fantastic character, and his interactions with Michael are some of my favourite moments in the series so far.

Also,

Spoiler

"Harry the, err, lizard."

Edit:

I have to add that the biggest gripe I had with the series early on,

Spoiler

Murphy distrusting Harry in spite of everything (this got really annoying in Fool Moon) appears to have been resolved completely by this point. I have a small fear brewing in the back of my head that they will end up in a relationship together (Please, please, please don't!

Very few authors I know can do the lovey-dovey stuff right without making it absolutely cringe-worthy...), but we'll see.

This post has been edited by Abyss: 10 January 2013 - 05:35 PM
Reason for edit: SPOILERS

[Macros]

Started the codex alera books last night.
only a few chapters into the first book, seems interesting enough to stick with so far.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

worrywort, on 08 January 2013 - 09:20 PM, said:

Kruppe, were you by any chance manufactured by Intel?

Keyword being "finished." Most of those were started in December (or earlier). I won't often have 7 whole books read over the course of 8 days. Although, sometimes I'm stuck somewhere with nothing else to do, in which case I can polish off multiple books in a day...

[Use Of Weapons]

Finished Sheri Tepper's _The True Game_, probably my favourite trilogy ever, and certainly my favourite of the sub-genre of SFF that pretends to be fantasy, and then slowly reveals itself to be something...else. I've never managed to lay hands on the related books, but here's hoping that with the advent of the Kindle (and eBooks in general), publishers will start to make their back catalogues more widely available, given that they wont take up any actual space or print runs.

Next up (assuming it arrived today, as I haven't checked): _Blade of Tyshalle_

[Overactive Imagination]

Half way through Dust of Dreams for the first time..

Spoiler

The part after Tool kills himself and the Barghast go crazy in a power struggle and Hetoc gets hobbled... holy fuck. That part is so scary and intense and fucked up... and then Toc saves Tool's children... fuckin amazing chapter and it's not even over yet

This post has been edited by Overactive Imagination: 10 January 2013 - 01:23 AM

[Ukjent]

Done with Summers Knight, and over to The revenge of Eli Monpress.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Finished AMERICAN GODS, it was flawless, though it wasn't the author's preferred text so it was a bit lacking in some areas.

Now I've almost finished COLD DAYS. SO much better than GHOST STORY!

[amphibian]

Ain, on 10 January 2013 - 12:16 PM, said:

Finished AMERICAN GODS, it was flawless, though it wasn't the author's preferred text so it was a bit lacking in some areas.

So it was flawless or it wasn't?

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 10 January 2013 - 03:40 PM, said:

Ain, on 10 January 2013 - 12:16 PM, said:

Finished AMERICAN GODS, it was flawless, though it wasn't the author's preferred text so it was a bit lacking in some areas.

So it was flawless or it wasn't?

Obviously it was flawless, except for the flaws.



150 pages into AMOL. I think i may try to slow down and draw this out.

[QuickTidal]

AMOL: I just crossed over the 200 page threshold...er...I don't think I can slow down now...all the plots started to ramp speed now and I don't think I could slow down reading it, even if I really wanted to.

Also, it's fucking amazing.

There are one or two developments in the first 200 pages that had me thinking to myself "How on EARTH did I not guess that is where that plotline was going?!"

Brilliance.

[D'rek]

Finished Codex Alera #1 - enjoyed it a lot more than I expected after many forum members seemed not to. The classic-western-farmboy-shenanigans-plot being offset by the sex-positive-spy-lady-intrigue plot may have worked a little too well, though - I didn't dislike the farmy plots but was always a little disheartened when an Amara chapter ended and a Tavi chapter began.

On to Codex Alera #2!

[Baco Xtath]

Abyss, on 10 January 2013 - 05:38 PM, said:

150 pages into AMOL. I think i may try to slow down and draw this out.

You really want to draw it out? Audiobook = 44 hrs (or so). Audible.com cost for the book: $7.49 (or so).