[polishgenius]

Abyss, on 12 September 2013 - 11:06 PM, said:

Seriously? ...because it sort of sounds like a cross between THE ISLAND flic and THE HUNGER GAMES in the marketing and I was a bit skeptical.

As was I, I'd been circling it for like a year for that exact reason, but it totally works. There's definitely a lot of Hunger Games in its DNA, but it's much better written (I quite like Hunger Games anyway, but eh). Also there's a fair bit of Fallout and that's always a good thing.

[Serenity]

Finished Prince of Thorns. Thought it was brilliant. Got King lined up to go, although I might read The Invisible Man first.

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 13 September 2013 - 07:59 AM, said:

Abyss, on 13 September 2013 - 12:47 AM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 12 September 2013 - 11:28 PM, said:

Finished Changes, read Aftermath from Side Jobs & now onto Ghost Story.

Remember to hydrate!

Copious amounts of nothing but coffee counts, right?

Close enough. Carry on!

polishgenius, on 13 September 2013 - 08:02 AM, said:

Abyss, on 12 September 2013 - 11:06 PM, said:

Seriously? ...because it sort of sounds like a cross between THE ISLAND flic and THE HUNGER GAMES in the marketing and I was a bit skeptical.

As was I, I'd been circling it for like a year for that exact reason, but it totally works. There's definitely a lot of Hunger Games in its DNA, but it's much better written (I quite like Hunger Games anyway, but eh). Also there's a fair bit of Fallout and that's always a good thing.

Noted.


Meanwhile i finished EMPEROR OF THORNS. Stunning! More in the ded-thread.

Now... likely Aaronovich's BROKEN HOMES.

[QuickTidal]

Finished Leigh Bardugo's SIEGE AND STORM, and was quite impressed for most of it. A great volume in the series! If I had one complaint, there is a LITTLE too much uncertainty in love on the part of the lead...by mid-book I was shouting, JUST PICK ONE!....but I suppose that's part of the YA set. The rest of the book was just as flat out excellent as the first book was, though a tad less whimsical and a tad darker. Now I wait for the final volume to drop next year.

Onto finishing up DUNE.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 13 September 2013 - 05:06 PM

[amphibian]

Briar King, on 14 September 2013 - 03:47 AM, said:

Dune is classic. The OG 6 just get better on rereads. I've done it twice.

They really do.

The Matres come out of nowhere though. Did you read any of Herbert's other books? I thought the Dosadi Experiment was a really interesting precursor to the Dune books. Even had the pre-chapter quotes.

[amphibian]

Shit, I fact checked and the book was published many years after Dune. I felt like it was an earlier work full of ideas he'd polished for dune, but nope.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

polishgenius, on 13 September 2013 - 08:02 AM, said:

Abyss, on 12 September 2013 - 11:06 PM, said:

Seriously? ...because it sort of sounds like a cross between THE ISLAND flic and THE HUNGER GAMES in the marketing and I was a bit skeptical.

As was I, I'd been circling it for like a year for that exact reason, but it totally works. There's definitely a lot of Hunger Games in its DNA, but it's much better written (I quite like Hunger Games anyway, but eh). Also there's a fair bit of Fallout and that's always a good thing.

I've got Wool ~ 16 books deep in my to-read pile. Your descriptions just make me even more eager to get to it...

[Tiste Simeon]

Finished Ghost Story & I enjoyed it a whole lot more 2nd time round. Onto Cold Days now!

[Solidsnape]

House of Chains.

[Ukjent]

Done with the 2 first books in the Act of Cain, thats some sick things in there. But I did enjoy the books.

[Traveller]

Just finished Caines Law.

Holy fuck that was good.

That whole series now demands a re-read in the very near future.

If you haven't read them already, go get them now.

My only problem is, what the fuck am I going to read next?

This post has been edited by Traveller: 15 September 2013 - 03:12 PM

[polishgenius]

Well if you try to follow it up with something similar, you're only gonna be disappointed in the direct comparison, so go for something completely different and read some Jasper Fforde (everybody should try the Thursday Next series).

Is my rec.

[Chance]

Just began Ace of Skulls my re-read of The Gate of Fire on paus.

[Abyss]

Traveller, on 15 September 2013 - 03:11 PM, said:

Just finished Caines Law.

Holy fuck that was good.

That whole series now demands a re-read in the very near future.

If you haven't read them already, go get them now.

My only problem is, what the fuck am I going to read next?

polishgenius, on 15 September 2013 - 07:40 PM, said:

Well if you try to follow it up with something similar, you're only gonna be disappointed in the direct comparison, so go for something completely different and read some Jasper Fforde (everybody should try the Thursday Next series).

Is my rec.

I see your Jasper Fforde and raise Clines' EX-HEROES series. It's terrifically written zombies vs superheroes, what's not to love?

[polishgenius]

Nothing, just that 1) I haven't read it yet and 2) I was trying to think of the most 'different' fantasy series I could from Caine that was still super-awesome, and from what y'all have said, Ex-Heroes isn't nearly as different as the woman who goes spelunking in fiction. Just the most awesome blend of narrative-bending alt-history time-travelling pun-making illogically logical police-case solving you could possibly hope to find.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 15 September 2013 - 09:48 PM

[Abyss]

It's super heroes punching zombies in the brainz!!! Put that in your fourth wall breaking metafictional pipe and smoke it!

(for the record i have a few Fforde's in the TRPFH and it's been highly recommended to me a few times)

[Stalker]

I just finished Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. I've been on a space archaeology / exploration kick recently (as my last post here was The Engines of God). Anyway, it was exactly what I was looking for, and I just wish it was longer. Has anyone read the "sequels" and can comment on if they should actually be read?

I'm now onto King of Thorns again before moving onto Emperor.

This post has been edited by Stalker: 16 September 2013 - 03:19 AM

[polishgenius]

Stalker, on 16 September 2013 - 03:19 AM, said:

Has anyone read the "sequels" and can comment on if they should actually be read?

No. NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I did it so you don't have to: please don't waste that sacrifice.


Instead, read Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. It tells a very similar story to the point I'm sure it's a tribute, but deals with the ideas Lee and Clarke attempt to bring in in the later books much, much better.

[Stalker]

polishgenius said:

Stalker said:

Has anyone read the "sequels" and can comment on if they should actually be read?

No. NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I did it so you don't have to: please don't waste that sacrifice.


Instead, read Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. It tells a very similar story to the point I'm sure it's a tribute, but deals with the ideas Lee and Clarke attempt to bring in in the later books much, much better.

Hah. Fantastic, that was the yes/no response I was looking for. I'll definitely look into Reynolds too, I'm not sure why but that is one of the only books of his I haven't read yet. Thanks!

[Abyss]

Stalker, on 16 September 2013 - 03:19 AM, said:

I just finished Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. I've been on a space archaeology / exploration kick recently (as my last post here was The Engines of God). Anyway, it was exactly what I was looking for, and I just wish it was longer. Has anyone read the "sequels" and can comment on if they should actually be read?

Stalker, on 16 September 2013 - 01:12 PM, said:

polishgenius said:

Stalker said:

Has anyone read the "sequels" and can comment on if they should actually be read?

No. NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! I did it so you don't have to: please don't waste that sacrifice.


Instead, read Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. It tells a very similar story to the point I'm sure it's a tribute, but deals with the ideas Lee and Clarke attempt to bring in in the later books much, much better.

Hah. Fantastic, that was the yes/no response I was looking for. I'll definitely look into Reynolds too, I'm not sure why but that is one of the only books of his I haven't read yet. Thanks!

Yeah i'll second PG on this. The original RENDEZVOUS W RAMA is a sf classic and worth reading, but the sequels... they just sort of meander around the point, with little of the sense of wonder the first book had.


1/4 through Aaronovich's Peter Grant bk 4 BROKEN HOMES. I really really like this series. Everything about the setting, writing style and characters appeal to me.
Am just hoping it has a better ending than the last book.