[QuickTidal]

Finished ACCEPTANCE by Vandermeer.

Not entirely sure what to think.

Spoiler

I'm not the type of guy who needs everything answered, but there are a LOT of loose threads left hanging at the end of this. I love the main thrust of the idea...the terraforming of earth in a way, and even people...but there are just too many questions left in the air for me to be completely satisfied.

All in all a haunting trilogy, with lovely and evocative prose, and some great ideas and executions...it just doens't finish as strongly as I wanted it to.

Not sure what I'll read next.

[worry]

Read my novelization of the movie Whiplash. Here's an excerpt:

Spoiler

BOOM CRASH BANG BANG BOOM CRASH CRASH BIBBITY BIBBITY BIBBITY BOOM BOOM CRASH

[Tiste Simeon]

worry, on 25 January 2015 - 12:39 AM, said:

Read my novelization of the movie Whiplash. Here's an excerpt:

Spoiler

BOOM CRASH BANG BANG BOOM CRASH CRASH BIBBITY BIBBITY BIBBITY BOOM BOOM CRASH

RT if yuo cri everytiem

[QuickTidal]

Started Gemmell's WOLF IN SHADOW, the first book in the Jon Shannow series. So far it's pretty good (only about 60 pages in), very western-y (obviously) but since he's looking for Jerusalem and they talk about England I'ma guess it's taking place in post-apocalyptic Europe.

Anyone else read them?

[Serenity]

QuickTidal, on 26 January 2015 - 01:17 PM, said:

Started Gemmell's WOLF IN SHADOW, the first book in the Jon Shannow series. So far it's pretty good (only about 60 pages in), very western-y (obviously) but since he's looking for Jerusalem and they talk about England I'ma guess it's taking place in post-apocalyptic Europe.

Anyone else read them?

I've only read Wolf in Shadow, got the others on my TRP. I read it ages ago, and it was my first Gemmell, so couldn't compare it to his other work at the time. I enjoyed it but would say others that I've read since have made a longer-lasting impression, but I'll be interested to re-read it in the future and really see how it compares.


I'm currently approaching the end of Trafalgar: the Men, the Battle, the Storm by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig. I don't read a lot of non-fiction but fancied this, given my current Patrick O'Brian addiction. It's very good, very readable, the build up to the battle was very tense - and I like the way they use letters and journal entries to give men from all sides a voice - but it's over-staying its welcome a little, I think. Maybe that's cos I'm being impatient and want to get onto the next Aubrey/Maturin book.

[Salt-Man Z]

Done with The Urth of the New Sun. Man, it just gets better every time I read it. (Like most of Wolfe's stuff.)

Also finished up the second Vampire Hunter D novel, Raiser of Gales. It was better than the first one, I guess. Still haven't decided if it's the translation or the original text that's so cringe-worthy. Either way, I don't feel compelled to read the third.

And I picked up The Wurms of Blearmouth from the library on the way into work, so that's up next.

[amphibian]

Do you work your way to Long Sun and Short Sun now and then or stick to New Sun?

[Maark Abbott]

Tiste Simeon, on 25 January 2015 - 07:30 AM, said:

worry, on 25 January 2015 - 12:39 AM, said:

Read my novelization of the movie Whiplash. Here's an excerpt:

Spoiler

BOOM CRASH BANG BANG BOOM CRASH CRASH BIBBITY BIBBITY BIBBITY BOOM BOOM CRASH

RT if yuo cri everytiem

Not as good as Davidian

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 26 January 2015 - 01:17 PM, said:

Started Gemmell's WOLF IN SHADOW, the first book in the Jon Shannow series. So far it's pretty good (only about 60 pages in), very western-y (obviously) but since he's looking for Jerusalem and they talk about England I'ma guess it's taking place in post-apocalyptic Europe.

Anyone else read them?

Yep, albeit ages ago.

Not as wild as his more fantasy based Drenai stuff, but enjoyable.

[Salt-Man Z]

amphibian, on 26 January 2015 - 04:27 PM, said:

Do you work your way to Long Sun and Short Sun now and then or stick to New Sun?

I like to reread BotNS every December or so, only occasionally throwing in Urth (just because it's so different.) I've read Long Sun once, and it was good, but hard going at times. I own the Short Sun omnibus, but I feel like I'd need to reread Long Sun first, and I find the prospect of doing so daunting. I might give it a try next year, we'll see.

[acesn8s]

QuickTidal, on 26 January 2015 - 01:17 PM, said:

Started Gemmell's WOLF IN SHADOW, the first book in the Jon Shannow series. So far it's pretty good (only about 60 pages in), very western-y (obviously) but since he's looking for Jerusalem and they talk about England I'ma guess it's taking place in post-apocalyptic Europe.

Anyone else read them?

Read his Shannow series a long time ago. A solid effort by Gemmell.

[Baco Xtath]

I made it to the final book of Long, when shit starts getting good, then lost traction somewhere, and haven't gone back (though I really do want to). I've got Short Sun above my TV so I see it constantly. One day.

50% in Three Parts Dead; awesome stuff. 4 hrs into Goblin Emperor - decent. 2 hrs into Apocalypse Codex - fun, fun. 7 hrs into the Pale King - insane or brilliant, not sure which.

[Salt-Man Z]

Cajun King, on 26 January 2015 - 09:44 PM, said:

I don't remember the reading order for Short, Long, New. I have them all but could barely make 200 pgs into Long. It's way different compared to New's epicness.

Short is a sequel to Long, and there are some tangential ties to New in Long (and presumably Short, which I haven't read.) I liked (IIRC) the first two Long Sun books when they dealt more with Silk and were a little more personal. Once the background machinations and intrigue started to take over the plot (though often still hidden in the background, because Wolfe) I started to flounder a bit.

[Baco Xtath]

Cajun King, on 27 January 2015 - 01:23 AM, said:

So New, Long, Short or Long, Short, New?

I to haven't even cracked open Short despite having all 3 sets for 15 yrs or so.

New, Urth of New, Long, Short.

By the way, to any lawyers hereabouts, y'all really need to check out this Three Parts Dead. It's like Magic Matlock.

[amphibian]

Short Sun is his most emotionally affecting work ever. There's a thing in the second book that had me in tears for a solid 30 minutes.

But you have to have Long Sun fresh in the mind because the characters are all working from their guesses at what would Silk do/what did he do.

[amphibian]

I am a lawyer. I am also a haphazard Matlock fan.

[Abyss]

Finished the audiobook of Marie Brennen's A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS.I didn't love this. I have a feeling that if I had read it, as opposed to audio, I would have skimmed a lot. The world is basically Early Victorian era Europe with all the trimmings and different country names. The protagonist is a Lady in a world of men who think ladies belong making babies and ordering the servants around, and that is the first problem because I just don't find that plot point all that interesting. The fact that she is obsessed with dragons elevates her above similar Pride and Prejudicey characters, but the other problem lies in these dragons just not being all that interesting to me either. There is no magic in this book... The dragons are seldom seen apex predators. To the author's credit she's given them a lot of thought and some interesting basis in 'science', but at root there isn't much there for a long time fantasy/sf reader to marvel at.
This would be an excellent book for an intro to the genre, but for me, while it held my attention just enough, I doubt i'll be hunting down the next one in the series.

[Serenity]

Started the 12th of Patrick O'Brian's 'Aubrey/Maturin' novels this morning, The Letter of Marque. Me happy.

[QuickTidal]

Put WOLF IN SHADOW back into the ToRead Pile (wasn't feeling it)...and started Brian Stavely's second volume in the Unhewn Thrown sequence THE PROVIDENCE OF FIRE.

[Andorion]

Finished Jemisin's third Kingdoms of God yesterday. The book was very good, but somehow I don't know... I felt it had shaped up beautifully but the very last part seemed to be... a cop-out.

Anyway now I have a problem. i was going to start Elantris. But I got two books for my birthday. One is Matthew Reilly's The Great Zoo of China which I am super stoked about and the other is the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Can't decide what to read now