[QuickTidal]

Hit the halfway mark in VOYAGER by Gabaldon, and it's still the best of the series so far. She found her groove for sure with this book.

Also sidebar: Just found out that her son is fantasy author Sam Sykes!

[Salt-Man Z]

At home, I'm rereading Courtney Schafer's The Tainted City. I reread the first book (The Whitefire Crossing) last year, but have been putting this one off for a while, partially because I didn't like it. Which isn't to say it's not well-written and gripping; it's just that I did not like what it did to the characters--which more than anything just highlights what she accomplished in the first book. This one seems to undo all of the good that came out of its predecessor, but I get that that's more a function of "middle book syndrome" than anything else. Still recommend the series to everyone, and am looking forward to seeing how it concludes.

At work, I'm reading Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem on my Kindle. It's... weird. At chapter 7 now, and just getting to the point where the plot feels like it's about to make an appearance. Everything up to now has been interesting, but it'll be good to see things start moving.

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 21 July 2016 - 03:05 PM, said:

Actually, it was the bit about werehyeana mating rituals that convinced me the series is great.

But while 1 was ok and 2 was good fun, this book hit all the right marks for better-than-popcorn-semi-urban-fantasy... fun baddies, great supporting cast, cool development of the lead character, and some INSANE fight scenes.

...we may need a ded-thread.

I particularly liked

Spoiler

the fight they were supposed to stay low in but won anyway, and of course the final when Kate decides that the best solution is to literally impale herself on the sword

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 21 July 2016 - 03:49 PM, said:

Abyss, on 21 July 2016 - 03:05 PM, said:

Actually, it was the bit about werehyeana mating rituals that convinced me the series is great.

But while 1 was ok and 2 was good fun, this book hit all the right marks for better-than-popcorn-semi-urban-fantasy... fun baddies, great supporting cast, cool development of the lead character, and some INSANE fight scenes.

...we may need a ded-thread.

I particularly liked

Spoiler

the fight they were supposed to stay low in but won anyway, and of course the final when Kate decides that the best solution is to literally impale herself on the sword

Spoiler

Kate ALWAYS makes the best (read: messed up, but successful) decisions!

But seriously, can we have a team up Dresden / Daniels book, where he drops into the future where the Outer Gates were breached and caused the magic shifts in the first place, and has to fight alongside Kate?

[Slow Ben]

Finished Proven Guilty, onto White Night.

Roll on Dresden re-read!

[Macros]

Just finished my reread of Abercrombie's First Law trilogy.
Enjoyed it even more this time, having read sharp ends the short stories tie in so well. Really brings Bayaz and Logen into a sharper focus rereading.

And Glokta, the beautiful bastard

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 21 July 2016 - 04:00 PM, said:

Andorion, on 21 July 2016 - 03:49 PM, said:

Abyss, on 21 July 2016 - 03:05 PM, said:

Actually, it was the bit about werehyeana mating rituals that convinced me the series is great.

But while 1 was ok and 2 was good fun, this book hit all the right marks for better-than-popcorn-semi-urban-fantasy... fun baddies, great supporting cast, cool development of the lead character, and some INSANE fight scenes.

...we may need a ded-thread.

I particularly liked

Spoiler

the fight they were supposed to stay low in but won anyway, and of course the final when Kate decides that the best solution is to literally impale herself on the sword

Spoiler

Kate ALWAYS makes the best (read: messed up, but successful) decisions!

But seriously, can we have a team up Dresden / Daniels book, where he drops into the future where the Outer Gates were breached and caused the magic shifts in the first place, and has to fight alongside Kate?

Would read.
I do have one minor complant....

Spoiler

Thats three books in a row where Kate needs Curren to beat the Big Bad.

[QuickTidal]

Sexy Gumbo, on 22 July 2016 - 04:50 AM, said:

Holy fuck Scott. Pgs 82&83 had my heart in my throat.. NOOOO!

Yeah man, some crazy stuff in this book.

[Macros]

Reading The Evolution Man (or how I ate my father)
About half way through, highly entertaining.

[Macros]

Just started the first powder mage book

[Aptorian]

End of Disc One, on 20 July 2016 - 11:21 PM, said:

Apt probably doesn't like stick bugs.

What? How dare you? I will have you know I love stick bugs. They are awesome and I have absolutely nothing but praise for what they do!

(Seriously dude, don't say that shit. Stick bugs could be anywhere, any time, always watching, always listening. You won't ever even know they are there until the sofa moves and you realise all your furniture was actually camouflaged stick bugs and then they bite your head off)

Regarding Iron Council.

What a load of garbage.

After really loving Perdido and The Scar, Iron Council felt like Mieville just threw in what ever world building scraps he had left over and mixed it up with some socialist class warfare. Nothing in that book had the charm and creativity of the other books.

If you want wasteland train adventures go read Rail Sea instead. Much better book.

[Tsundoku]

Finished Words of Radiance and most of Peter F Hamilton's Great North Road (both 1000+ page books) while in South Australia. Both quite entertaining, but for different reasons.

[Mentalist]

Iron Council > Perdido > The Scar

IMHO. Ofc, "Kraken" is the best.

Currently slowly making my way thru Black Man (Will most likely read a bunch on my way home tonight), and likeing it lots.

Also chugging through "Cornelius Calendar" in commute read. Making as little sense as the other Cornelius works atm, but great period descriptions. WHole thing feels like a bunch of vignettes strung together, with hints of a possible plot. Maybe.

[Aptorian]

Mentalist, on 23 July 2016 - 01:14 PM, said:

Iron Council > Perdido > The Scar

IMHO. Ofc, "Kraken" is the best.

Heresy. Kraken is interesting but a chaotic mess.

Any other choice than Perdido or Scar is just madness.

[worry]

Socialist class warfare rules.

[Baco Xtath]

Apt, on 23 July 2016 - 01:18 PM, said:

Mentalist, on 23 July 2016 - 01:14 PM, said:

Iron Council > Perdido > The Scar

IMHO. Ofc, "Kraken" is the best.

Heresy. Kraken is interesting but a chaotic mess.

Any other choice than Perdido or Scar is just madness.

IMHO

The Scar > Perdido > Looking for Jake > the City & the City > Iron Council > Kraken > Embassytown > King Rat > Three Moments of an Explosion - However, all are great.

never read Railsea or Un Lun Dun

[JPK]

Apt, on 23 July 2016 - 12:14 PM, said:

Regarding Iron Council.

What a load of garbage.

After really loving Perdido and The Scar, Iron Council felt like Mieville just threw in what ever world building scraps he had left over and mixed it up with some socialist class warfare. Nothing in that book had the charm and creativity of the other books.

If you want wasteland train adventures go read Rail Sea instead. Much better book.

I'm still going to go into Iron Council soon, but I'll keep this in mind and lower my expectations going in.

I have read Railsea and I absolutely loved it. In fact I plan on making the Mrs. read it after she finishes Danielewski's HOUSE OF LEAVES.

So far I have PERDIDO, THE SCAR, RAILSEA, KRACKEN, and EMBASSYTOWN under my belt. THE SCAR and KRACKEN are neck and neck for my favorite of his works with EMBASSYTOWN my pick for weakest. Now with that said, I still enjoyed it and thought his main alien race was an awesome concept.

[amphibian]

The City and The City is his weakest. I've read everything and what Iron Council has is this beautiful section on observing and being changed by what is being observed. It's extremely meaningful and renders the rest of the book far more emotional - but it's kind of something more noticed upon a re read than a first read.

[Abyss]

Apt, on 23 July 2016 - 01:18 PM, said:

...

Heresy. Kraken is interesting but a chaotic mess.

You shut your squid-hating face or we will have words.
Harsh words.




The kind calamari speak, just before they are breaded and deep fried.

[End of Disc One]

I'm actually on my first Mieville right now, King Rat. Yes, I know that's not the recommended place to start. It's alright so far, 100 pages in. Reminds me a bit of Gaiman, even though I've read very little Gaiman. Regardless of how I'll feel by the end, I'll still read PSS.