[Andorion]

So I am stuck halfway into Bradley Beaulieu's Twelve Kings in Sharakhai. This book is so slow. And boring. And long. I have nothing against long books, I love long books, but its really boring when I can see half the stuff coming

[acesn8s]

End of Disc One, on 08 February 2016 - 04:04 PM, said:

How did you get to book 8 if you didn't enjoy the previous books?

I butchered my original post.

I went back and edited it. I did enjoy most of the other books in the series. I found the Air War to be fun and very different than the previous books, with dog fighting taking up a large portion of the novel.

I picked up Warmaster's Gate during lunch.

[Mentalist]

Finished "Warriors of God", or, to use the original title, "Boży bojownicy"

It's freaking awesome once you get past the culture shock of the opening.

It's almost like a historical adventure novel, with fairly light fantasy elements (a tad heavier than the Baroque cycle), set during the Hussite Wars. Which is an amazing setting, because this is THE original Reformation, AND, because it's the second major conflict in Medieval history where infantry beats knights (gotta give The Hundred Year war credit for that)

Pacing is great once it finds its stride (the first 4 chapters). Lots of memorable secondary characters, and some deep commentary on the nature of faith, war, terror tactics, etc.

Battle scenes are awesome (Think Battle of Brenna from the Witcher books, but MOAR). The ending is strong.

I think I'm gonna grab Book 3 to read next to finish the trilo.

[Puck]

Mentalist, on 09 February 2016 - 02:14 AM, said:

Finished "Warriors of God", or, to use the original title, "Boży bojownicy"

It's freaking awesome once you get past the culture shock of the opening.

It's almost like a historical adventure novel, with fairly light fantasy elements (a tad heavier than the Baroque cycle), set during the Hussite Wars. Which is an amazing setting, because this is THE original Reformation, AND, because it's the second major conflict in Medieval history where infantry beats knights (gotta give The Hundred Year war credit for that)

Pacing is great once it finds its stride (the first 4 chapters). Lots of memorable secondary characters, and some deep commentary on the nature of faith, war, terror tactics, etc.

Battle scenes are awesome (Think Battle of Brenna from the Witcher books, but MOAR). The ending is strong.

I think I'm gonna grab Book 3 to read next to finish the trilo.

That trilogy is amazing. Makes me want to reread it, but right after the first Bakker trilogy I'm not sure I want more warriors of God stuff right away.

[QuickTidal]

Finished THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson. Really good overall, but the juxtaposition between the World Fair architects and happenings, and the murder tale of H.H. Holmes split into chapters, make it a "jarring" read. You JUST get into the one story, and have to switch gears for the other, throughout. I would almost recommend reading all the Burnham chapters first, then all the Holmes chapters...just so it flows better. In the end it was all fascinating though.

Wasn't feeling THE MECHANICAL by Tregillis just now, so put it back into the ToRead pile for future perusal.

Started THE SUNRISE LANDS by S.M. Stirling, which is Book 4 (first in the second trilogy) in the Emberverse series (Also called the "Dies The Fire" series)...and at 50 pages in it's already amazing. Basically, my issue with the first trilogy was that after the first book which was MOSTLY setup in the new world right after the Change and was excellent, the 2nd and 3rd books in the trilogy hearken back to those events a LITTLE too much (Pre-Change Characters grumbling about being called Chief, or the use of Kilts and Clans ect.) and because that trilogy takes place within the 8 years after The Change there is a LOT of table setting for the whole Emberverse as a setting. So you get talk about drainage, and food, and farming mixed in with the action. In parts it's fantastic, and in others it's kind of plodding. There is also the fact that the villain of that trilogy is a Portland History-professor-cum-warlord who imagined his new world could be a sexist, drug fueled utopia based on the Middle Ages. It's a good trilogy, but it's got some slog to it because of the above mentioned stuff. The second trilogy, however, is 22 years after the Change, and the kids who were born AFTER the new world came into being are turning into adults, and are becoming protagonists, and a new villain from the east is rising (east meaning just east of the Mississippi)....basically you get to treat it like a post-apocalyptic fantasy series now without a LOT of hearkening back to the before-time. Heck, most of the new young adults in the series at this point think about the pre-Change world as this mythical thing they don't REALLY care about. So yeah, basically this book took off like a shot and hasn't stopped yet.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 09 February 2016 - 02:08 PM

[Andorion]

Finished Twelve Kings in Sharakhai. The book improves after the half point but not to a great extent. Several 'twists' are still fairly predictable.

Hitting Tregillis next

[Salt-Man Z]

Finished with Borges' Brodie's Report (as part of Hurley's Collected Fictions translation.) Almost of these stories were of the Argentina/gaucho variety, which don't generally hit the proverbial spot for me. That said, last night I read "The Gospel According to Mark" which gave me goosebumps. Right up there with some of his best stuff.

[Mentalist]

QuickTidal, on 09 February 2016 - 02:05 PM, said:

Finished THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson. Really good overall, but the juxtaposition between the World Fair architects and happenings, and the murder tale of H.H. Holmes split into chapters, make it a "jarring" read. You JUST get into the one story, and have to switch gears for the other, throughout. I would almost recommend reading all the Burnham chapters first, then all the Holmes chapters...just so it flows better. In the end it was all fascinating though.

Wasn't feeling THE MECHANICAL by Tregillis just now, so put it back into the ToRead pile for future perusal.

Started THE SUNRISE LANDS by S.M. Stirling, which is Book 4 (first in the second trilogy) in the Emberverse series (Also called the "Dies The Fire" series)...and at 50 pages in it's already amazing. Basically, my issue with the first trilogy was that after the first book which was MOSTLY setup in the new world right after the Change and was excellent, the 2nd and 3rd books in the trilogy hearken back to those events a LITTLE too much (Pre-Change Characters grumbling about being called Chief, or the use of Kilts and Clans ect.) and because that trilogy takes place within the 8 years after The Change there is a LOT of table setting for the whole Emberverse as a setting. So you get talk about drainage, and food, and farming mixed in with the action. In parts it's fantastic, and in others it's kind of plodding. There is also the fact that the villain of that trilogy is a Portland History-professor-cum-warlord who imagined his new world could be a sexist, drug fueled utopia based on the Middle Ages. It's a good trilogy, but it's got some slog to it because of the above mentioned stuff. The second trilogy, however, is 22 years after the Change, and the kids who were born AFTER the new world came into being are turning into adults, and are becoming protagonists, and a new villain from the east is rising (east meaning just east of the Mississippi)....basically you get to treat it like a post-apocalyptic fantasy series now without a LOT of hearkening back to the before-time. Heck, most of the new young adults in the series at this point think about the pre-Change world as this mythical thing they don't REALLY care about. So yeah, basically this book took off like a shot and hasn't stopped yet.

I read the original "Dies the fire" a bunch of years back and didn't think much of it... do bks 2 and 3 improve significantly on that?

Given my much-cut-down reading time ever since I'm out of school and working full-time, I've become much pickier in what I read.

[QuickTidal]

Mentalist, on 09 February 2016 - 04:54 PM, said:

I read the original "Dies the fire" a bunch of years back and didn't think much of it... do bks 2 and 3 improve significantly on that?

Given my much-cut-down reading time ever since I'm out of school and working full-time, I've become much pickier in what I read.

To be honest, Books 2 and 3 of the original trilogy can be skipped. As I said it's a lot of setup. If you're interested int continuing with the series, perhaps Wiki the 2nd and 3rd books, and then just move onto the 4th?

Stirling is denser than he needs to be often with his prose (Tad Williams affliction?), but the meat and potatoes of his stories are always interesting to me. I'm making my way through these to get to the newest books that concern events like 80 years after the Change, those seem like fertile ground to tell REAL post-Apoc fantasy tales.

[Mentalist]

QuickTidal, on 09 February 2016 - 05:05 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 09 February 2016 - 04:54 PM, said:

I read the original "Dies the fire" a bunch of years back and didn't think much of it... do bks 2 and 3 improve significantly on that?

Given my much-cut-down reading time ever since I'm out of school and working full-time, I've become much pickier in what I read.

To be honest, Books 2 and 3 of the original trilogy can be skipped. As I said it's a lot of setup. If you're interested int continuing with the series, perhaps Wiki the 2nd and 3rd books, and then just move onto the 4th?

Stirling is denser than he needs to be often with his prose (Tad Williams affliction?), but the meat and potatoes of his stories are always interesting to me. I'm making my way through these to get to the newest books that concern events like 80 years after the Change, those seem like fertile ground to tell REAL post-Apoc fantasy tales.

I'll have to look into this again at some point. Cheers!

[Andorion]

About halfway through Tregillis' The Rising. Absolutely excellent so far.

[Gnaw]

Long time listener first time caller.

Absolute bullshit. I almost universally hate the recommendations of other people.

Situation: You're going to be stranded on an island populated by softy, feely, universalist type religious folk who march in 12 step lock. But you know this in advance. And you're driving by a Barnes & Nobles on your way to the island. Also no internet and iPads are destroyed upon landing.

What do you buy?

I'm thinking the Expanse books. But I'm semi-worried that the series is essentially a rip-off of Alfred Bester, Robert Heinlein, and Larry Niven.


edit: or going seriously old school and picking up Moorcock. (yeah, you don't get straight lines like that but once or twice a lifetime)

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 11 February 2016 - 01:53 AM

[Gnaw]

Hmmm Something non-fictiony? I've never been able to finish Adam Smith or Hannah Arendt's "On Totalitarianism"

Although I did read most of "Atlas Shrugged". One of the most wasteful and important books ever written. Above Jonathon Swift even. "The worst person in the world is the shaman who believes in his own shtick."

[Andorion]

I would say take something that entertains you and you can keep on reading for some time. The Expanse books are great but very fast reads

[worry]

You could write your own novel.

[Gnaw]

Dumbledude, on 11 February 2016 - 03:13 AM, said:

You could write your own novel.

Hard to do. Although I do admit that it might be more possible to write a fantasy novel whiles surrounded by people who believe in a "higher power".



Yes, that attitude is going to cause me problems fitting in with the cool kids.

[worry]

Try for horror.

[Andorion]

Just finished Ian Tregillis' The Rising. Holy Shit. The first book was good, but this book is excellent. Tight, extremely fast moving, action-packed, this book escalates everything to a new level.

Also Tregillis can write a convergence! A small one, but a good one

[Gnaw]

Dumbledude, on 11 February 2016 - 03:48 AM, said:

Try for horror.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are the third most wisest person on this forum. (Terez, Me).




Non fiction it is.

The Demon Haunted World.

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 11 February 2016 - 03:52 AM

[Mentalist]

Gnaw, on 11 February 2016 - 01:52 AM, said:

Long time listener first time caller.

Absolute bullshit. I almost universally hate the recommendations of other people.

Situation: You're going to be stranded on an island populated by softy, feely, universalist type religious folk who march in 12 step lock. But you know this in advance. And you're driving by a Barnes & Nobles on your way to the island. Also no internet and iPads are destroyed upon landing.

What do you buy?

I'm thinking the Expanse books. But I'm semi-worried that the series is essentially a rip-off of Alfred Bester, Robert Heinlein, and Larry Niven.


edit: or going seriously old school and picking up Moorcock. (yeah, you don't get straight lines like that but once or twice a lifetime)

Moorcock sci-fi is great. His fantasy stuff is hit or miss.

I'd suggest Neal Stephenson- his Baroque cycle is dense, but awesome.