[Tiste Simeon]

Started reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. While I appreciate the humour and I like things to do with Zombies, the novelty effect wore off very quickly. Not sure I can be bothered to finish it as the way it is written has already begun to grate.
May read Blindsight instead.

[Baco Xtath]

Tisteon Simeonus, on 13 July 2014 - 10:37 PM, said:

Started reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. While I appreciate the humour and I like things to do with Zombies, the novelty effect wore off very quickly. Not sure I can be bothered to finish it as the way it is written has already begun to grate.
May read Blindsight instead.

Read Blindsight, it's an amazing book.

And Black Man/ Thirte3n is one of my favorite books of all time. I went audiobook on it so the experience could be different. Plus, I fly fished every bit of it so that too could add to my liking.

Still on American Elsewhere. It's hard to compare this to any other book as it's very original. Maybe 'Twilight Zone meets American Gods. Anyhoo, really good stuff.

[Tattersail_]

So, I have finished Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Book 1 of the Farseer Trilogy.

I admit that over the last few months I have not read that many books and found that other things took my interest, other than Dresden I have not been excited about reading a new book. That has changed. I found that I started reading this book and I really enjoyed the writing. This poor little guy, despised by many, with not much love. I just wanted him to have a friend and know that he is loved. The story is told through his PoV and is well written. I don't know what else to say without giving away spoilers. I would say that when I put the book down and did something else I wanted to read it or thought about it and looked forward to getting back into it. I avidly read the last few chapters in one sitting. I am definitely looked forward to the next one. I also cannot wait to read the books that involve the ships. There is so much mention of them in this book that you get a good feel for what it must be like on the water.

For how I felt, and how I feel I give this book

45 Skill Points and 45 Wit Points out of 50.

[Tiste Simeon]

Baco Xtath, on 13 July 2014 - 11:39 PM, said:

Tisteon Simeonus, on 13 July 2014 - 10:37 PM, said:

Started reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. While I appreciate the humour and I like things to do with Zombies, the novelty effect wore off very quickly. Not sure I can be bothered to finish it as the way it is written has already begun to grate.
May read Blindsight instead.

Read Blindsight, it's an amazing book.

Have started it today! Love the fact that it is free too!

For those who missed it before, you can legally download for free here.

[Binder of Demons]

After hearing about it for so long, I decided to get "Inverting The Pyramid" by Jonathon Wilson, which is a book about the evolution of football/soccer tactics over the years. And I know that sounds monumentally tedious, but it's a pretty cool history so far.


Also, rereading an old Babylon 5 trilogy about the Techno-mages, and it's great fun. A good fleshing out of the history and ultimate fate of one of the more intriguing side stories in the Babylon 5 universe.

[Tattersail_]

Started reading Royal Assassin by Robin hobb, book 2 of the Farseer Trilogy.

Wow. Chapter one is awesome. It took me a few moments to get into it but the chapter ended very strong.

[QuickTidal]

Tattersail_, on 14 July 2014 - 12:57 PM, said:

Started reading Royal Assassin by Robin hobb, book 2 of the Farseer Trilogy.

Wow. Chapter one is awesome. It took me a few moments to get into it but the chapter ended very strong.

Book 2 is great because it takes everything you enjoyed about the first book and ups the world-building ante.

Hope you enjoy it as much as Book 1.

[Jahdu]

I enjoyed the Farseer trilogy even though I found book 3 to be a bit anti-climactic.
I read book 1 and 2 of the Liveship trilogy, got about half way through book 3 and
found out I couldn't really care less about how it all finished up.

I've not found the courage to read another Hobb book again. Every time my hand inches
towards one in the bookstore the word Bingtown floats across my minds eye and I snatch
my hand back.

[Aptorian]

Jahdu, on 14 July 2014 - 06:08 PM, said:

I enjoyed the Farseer trilogy even though I found book 3 to be a bit anti-climactic.
I read book 1 and 2 of the Liveship trilogy, got about half way through book 3 and
found out I couldn't really care less about how it all finished up.

I've not found the courage to read another Hobb book again. Every time my hand inches
towards one in the bookstore the word Bingtown floats across my minds eye and I snatch
my hand back.

I had pretty similar experience. Did not love the third Farseer book. How ever I only got around a hundred pages into the first Liveship book before I gave up. It had some kind of whiny female protagonist who made me angry. The idea of reading 2000 pages of that crap was less than appealing.

[QuickTidal]

Apt Hoc, on 14 July 2014 - 06:40 PM, said:

Jahdu, on 14 July 2014 - 06:08 PM, said:

I enjoyed the Farseer trilogy even though I found book 3 to be a bit anti-climactic.
I read book 1 and 2 of the Liveship trilogy, got about half way through book 3 and
found out I couldn't really care less about how it all finished up.

I've not found the courage to read another Hobb book again. Every time my hand inches
towards one in the bookstore the word Bingtown floats across my minds eye and I snatch
my hand back.

I had pretty similar experience. Did not love the third Farseer book. How ever I only got around a hundred pages into the first Liveship book before I gave up. It had some kind of whiny female protagonist who made me angry. The idea of reading 2000 pages of that crap was less than appealing.

Never bothered with the Liveship traders as that stuff never appealed to me.

I feel that the second Farseer trilogy really compliments the first trilogy (perhaps only in hindsight?) by dealing with a LOT of the events that may have let people down in ASSASSIN'S QUEST. It's like Hobb allows herself to get deeper into ideas only touched on in the first trilogy.

Anyways, I think the 6 books work well together. And second on my list of faves after the first book would be Book 6.

[Chance]

Finally got to read through The Causal Angel that has been lying around for a while, a satisfying if somewhat short and perhaps less fantastic read then the previous ones. Will be very interesting to see what Hannu Rajaniemi writes next.

[Tattersail_]

What about her other work. Like the soldier son or the rain wild chronicles

[Aptorian]

Chance, on 14 July 2014 - 07:21 PM, said:

Finally got to read through The Causal Angel that has been lying around for a while, a satisfying if somewhat short and perhaps less fantastic read then the previous ones. Will be very interesting to see what Hannu Rajaniemi writes next.

The third book is out!? Oh boy, I know what I am putting on top of the to read pile.

[Chance]

Apt Hoc, on 14 July 2014 - 07:32 PM, said:

The third book is out!? Oh boy, I know what I am putting on top of the to read pile.

Seems like the official date is tomorrow , must have gotten it a week early or so

[QuickTidal]

Tattersail_, on 14 July 2014 - 07:24 PM, said:

What about her other work. Like the soldier son or the rain wild chronicles

Soldier Son is apparently very ho-hum and you can apparently tell that it's just a Fitz & Co. clone but not as well done and in a different setting (which I believe is why she's now returned to do a 3rd trilogy in the Six Duchies), and the Rain Wilds is the Liveship series (some say they like it, but I never bothered as I never found it as interesting sounding as Farseer).

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 14 July 2014 - 08:09 PM

[Aptorian]

It wasn't even on my radar. I really liked the first two books so this is a must.

[worry]

Soldier Son isn't a Fitz series clone at all besides the first person perspective, it's something else all together (and for better or worse largely unlike anything else in fantasy, frankly). It's not ho hum so much as it is incessantly dreary and remarkably -- even for Robin Hobb -- bereft of anything approaching comic relief. It doesn't surprise me that people don't like it, because even though I did like it I still found it a chore to get through at several points. I would only recommend it to die-hards.

Also, I've said it before but I'll re-emphasize it for Tattersail since he's going through the series: the Liveship Traders are an integral part of the series and a direct sequel to the first Fitz trilogy despite the setting and character changes. The trilogies definitely go Fitz 1 -- Liveship -- Fitz 2, in that order, with essential story events happening in all books. Skipping them would be like skipping Midnight Tides.

This post has been edited by upworthywort: 14 July 2014 - 08:49 PM

[polishgenius]

I skipped Liveship Traders and didn't find myself confused at all, so...

[worry]

So...?

[amphibian]

The Liveship books are actually worth looping around to if you've already done the Fitz/Dragon #1 series and Fitz/Fool #2 series, because the Boats/Dragon threads tie into the rest of Hobb's writing (the Dragons/Boats/Rediscovery series that is the Rainwild books) and weave in and out with the Fitz/Fool stuff as well.

That being said, I think she sorta dropped the ball with creating a character so readily relatable as Fitz is in the Liveship books. Althea doesn't immediately glom onto many readers like Fitz does and I don't think that's entirely because she's a woman or the setting is different.

I'll probably do a re-read of the Hobb stuff I have on hand/can get from the library. She's a truly good writer and even if her stuff is difficult to get through, it's still worth getting through.

Worry going to bat for her is kind of a big deal.