[Maark Abbott]

Andorion, on 09 July 2015 - 03:32 AM, said:

worry, on 09 July 2015 - 02:53 AM, said:

That post has more proper nouns than total other kinds of words.

Typing when the stars are right will do that to you

Blood...
"Oi'll get it!"
*is handed ketchup instead of blood*

[amphibian]

I read the Jacqueline Carey series (Kushiel's [Thingy], Naamah's [Thingy]).

The overall series confused the hell out of me by being really progressive regarding love, veering back and forth between "tropes" and meaningful representations of people all over the world (who aren't the standard Euro fantasy crowd), and the oddly structured destiny-imposed-by-the-gods thing in the Naamah's [Thingy] books. Phedre is a genuinely interesting protagonist and Imriel is too. Moirin has moments, but the destiny-always-leading-onwards thing left me without any serious narrative tension.

It's pretty good writing and enjoyable throughout. (Even though Carey doesn't really understand/depict fighting and training for fighting well until the fourth book)

I've returned to Vandemeer's City of Saints and Madmen and am working my way slowly through the footnotes and glossary after the stories. Some of them are so loony, moving, humorous and/or bizarre that I have to put the book down and do other things to let it soak in. The Kindle copy does not have working hyperlinks to footnotes, so you'll have to flip back and forth if you want to do that way (very annoying for a large book with many footnotes) or wait and chew through them at the end.

I'm not sure what started his fixation with squids, fungi, and Albumuth Blvd, but I'm enjoying this.

Shriek is up next, probably followed by Annihilation Score and that Turner book.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 09 July 2015 - 04:42 PM, said:

What happened to Expanse Ando?

Expanse is next on my reading list but for the moment

Finished up Traitors Blade. An excellent read with a few fresh elements. I love the prolific use of psychology as battle tactics. Also the magic here is subtle and clever.

I am also partway into Annihilation Score. There will be a detailed comment in the Charles Stross thread tomorrow.

[Maark Abbott]

About 50 pages into The Lost World. Some people just got eaten by dinosaurs. I never, ever suspected THAT would ever happen in something with a Jurassic Park logo on it.

[QuickTidal]

Maark, on 10 July 2015 - 11:36 AM, said:

About 50 pages into The Lost World. Some people just got eaten by dinosaurs. I never, ever suspected THAT would ever happen in something with a Jurassic Park logo on it.

Spoiler

At one point a T-Rex Bull actually gets its jollies off on the side of a car to mark it IIRC...so that's kinda out there for the series.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 10 July 2015 - 12:34 PM

[D'iversify]

Maark, on 09 July 2015 - 03:52 AM, said:

Andorion, on 09 July 2015 - 03:32 AM, said:

worry, on 09 July 2015 - 02:53 AM, said:

That post has more proper nouns than total other kinds of words.

Typing when the stars are right will do that to you

Blood...
"Oi'll get it!"
*is handed ketchup instead of blood*

Count Duckula reference?

[Andorion]

Reading the Expanse. Finished the Novelette? Novella? Short Story? The Butcher of Anderson Station and have now started Leviathan Wakes.

[Lycaenion]

Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds - A Novel of an Anciet China That Never Was. It's great!

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 10 July 2015 - 01:00 PM, said:

Reading the Expanse. Finished the Novelette? Novella? Short Story? The Butcher of Anderson Station and have now started Leviathan Wakes.

That's my fave of the short pieces they wrote for the series. The background on Fred is invaluable!

[Maark Abbott]

QuickTidal, on 10 July 2015 - 12:32 PM, said:

Maark, on 10 July 2015 - 11:36 AM, said:

About 50 pages into The Lost World. Some people just got eaten by dinosaurs. I never, ever suspected THAT would ever happen in something with a Jurassic Park logo on it.

Spoiler

At one point a T-Rex Bull actually gets its jollies off on the side of a car to mark it IIRC...so that's kinda out there for the series.

What a load of wank!

[Imperial Historian]

Had a holiday so a good chunk of the trp got read.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut: don't know how I haven't read this before, very good look at the absurdity of war

Queen Of fire by Anthony Ryan: ok third book in the series, for me I preferred the earlier ones

The annihilation score by Charles strode highly enjoyable take on the superhero genre with mo as the lead. A return to the bureaucratic feel of the first books

The fold by Peter clines this was pure popcorn goodness, had to stay up to finish this one. Marginally linked to 14 great take on the many worlds theory. Clines is now promoted into the list of orders I pre-order.

Knight's shadow by Sebastian de castel great 2nd book in the series. Basically fun musketeer inspired fantasy. Good light fantasy fair.

When the heavens fall by Marc Turner erikson inspired fantasy though doesn't reach the level of Erickson or esslemont yet. I liked it but he tries eriksons trick of adding new races and references to history with few details but doesn't quite pull off the trickle of details which makes it fully believable. Hopefully this will be better with more books. I'll be checking out book 2.

Legends stories in honour of David gemmel. Some very enjoyable shorts with some less so if you like gemmel you will enjoy this. Has given me A few authors whose work I will be checking out in the future

The fourth wall by Walter Jon Williams. Enjoyable popcorn near future sci fi. I can't wait for actual games and films like the ones talked about here to come out.

[JPK]

I finished HAWK by Steven Brust the day before yesterday. I thought it was a fantastic wrapup to a major plot of the last few books and a brilliant setup for the next direction of the series. I'm going to have withdrawals before the next book hits for sure.

I'm still in the mood for lighter material so I started WILDWOOD IMPERIUM by Colin Meloy. I've said it before, get on this. It brings back that same kind of childlike wonder that I had the first time I read Redwall or Narnia while still being very original. One of my absolute favorite reads at this point.

This post has been edited by The Incredible Kitsu: 10 July 2015 - 06:06 PM

[acesn8s]

I finished up Assail over lunch. Very good book. I started Deryni Rising by Kurtz. It's the last ebook for my Nook, which is dying. Once I finish it up I'll be solely on the Kindle environment.

[Gabriele]

Briar King, on 11 July 2015 - 04:39 AM, said:

Well it has finally happened the moment that changed Romes history in bk 6 The October Horse. I'm a bit confused on how she has written Antony and Servillia, and Ceasar's relationships though.

She's quite a Caesar fangirl, and out-gossips even Sueton. But the books are a fun read and decently researched. Way better than Gergory, Weir and their ilk are for whatever Tudor or York/Lancaster character they're assassinating.

For more Roman fiction, Harry Sidebottom is a specialist on the time he writes about (3rd century AD) but his novels can be a bit dry in parts. Personally I don't mind lectures in Roman history since I'm a geek but some readers may feel differently. Douglas Jackson's books are a fun romp on the action side, as are the Roman novels by Simon Scarrow, though I detected some historical bloopers there (not as bad as Iggulden, though).

For really complex historical fiction, check out Dorothy Dunnett.

I'm reading Blood and Steel, second in the Throne of Caesars series by Sidebottom; Stephen Deas' Adamantine Palace; and Judith Tarr, The Hound and the Falcon. Yes I always read more than one book at the same time. Plus nonfiction: Römische Herrschaft und Präsenz im Germanien der augusteischen Zeit (Lehmann and Wiegels). I'm editing the second volume at work right now. Yeah, I get paid for geek reading, ain't that nice?

[Abyss]

TAKEN, Benedict Jacka's third ALEX VERUS book.Fun, more of the same in the series with a bit of world building and character advancement. More action that the previous two books and less running away, which was a nice change. Will read the next one eventually.
Liking Stross' ANNIHILATION SCORE so far.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 12 July 2015 - 11:50 PM, said:

Anyone ever read Jeff Shaara Civil War books? All the recent issues with taking down CSA flag in SC has me wanting to delve into the era.

Yes I have. Quite good I thought.

[Andorion]

Finished Leviathan Wakes. Extremely entertaining. Now on to Caliban's War

[Puck]

I have been on a bit of a non-fiction streak recently (I keep meaning to pick up some fiction as the next book to read, but then end up reading non-fiction again because I cannot decide what novel/series to pick up next). Last book (Myth, the New Critical Idiom by Laurence Coupe ) was really good, and now I'm making my way through Asimov's Guide to the Bible. Yes, that Asimov.

I thought it'd feel more dated, having been written in the 1960s, but aside from population numbers he gives for 'current' times of places that are still around, it really doesn't show so far. Having been brought up decidedly non-religious, I feel like I'm often missing references in classical literature and such, but just reading the bible in it's own seems pointless. Besides, I did that once when I was 12 out of boredom. I think some historical context is in order.

This post has been edited by Puckstein: 13 July 2015 - 08:18 AM

[Macros]

Have taken a break from the gaunts ghosts books (just finished sabbat martyr.
Falling back on a reread of one of my favourite novellas ever, Honoured Enemy by Raymond Feist. If only everything in the universe he wrote was as good.

[acesn8s]

Briar King, on 12 July 2015 - 11:50 PM, said:

Anyone ever read Jeff Shaara Civil War books? All the recent issues with taking down CSA flag in SC has me wanting to delve into the era.

I read his Killer Angels novel some time ago. It was good.