[polishgenius]

Cause, on 01 January 2017 - 06:00 PM, said:

I have decided to tackle the 21 Reacher Novels. I think it will become stale at some point so if you have a suggestion of a another series I can mix things up with that would be much appreciated.

Do Baxter's Xeelee sequence if you fancy mixing it up with something very different. None of the novels are hugely long and there's lots of short stories too, so you can slip in a palate cleanser of length to suit your taste between the Reacher books.

[worry]

That's an interesting idea. Everyone loves a good Reacher round.

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 01 January 2017 - 10:51 PM, said:

Something bugs me everytime I look at the Safehold world map. Silverlode Island is huge but is a non entity as of 6. I forget it's even there till I see it in map. You'd think it would get included in "things" like all the other bits but it's not even been mentioned since bk 1.

I think the issue is hat its not really heavily inhabited. Also I think it gets mentioned in book 7 or 8

[worry]

How many of these books are there?! Is this series gonna take BK through to 2020?

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 01:39 AM, said:

Andorion, on 02 January 2017 - 01:12 AM, said:

Briar King, on 01 January 2017 - 10:51 PM, said:

Something bugs me everytime I look at the Safehold world map. Silverlode Island is huge but is a non entity as of 6. I forget it's even there till I see it in map. You'd think it would get included in "things" like all the other bits but it's not even been mentioned since bk 1.

I think the issue is hat its not really heavily inhabited. Also I think it gets mentioned in book 7 or 8

It's just funny with all that travel from Char to Chis to Em & Cor it's like it's not even there. Surely it's got some nobility and manpower/resources to tap on its huge ass. I forget it's even there till I look. It's a big black hole so far

I think it gets mentioned post book 7

[Andorion]

death rattle, on 02 January 2017 - 01:34 AM, said:

How many of these books are there?! Is this series gonna take BK through to 2020?

9 books in total

[EmperorMagus]

Reading Hammerhead by Elizabeth Bear (recommended to me by Amph).

Holy Fuck.

[Abyss]

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 04:04 AM, said:

I seem to be blasting Safehold quite a bit considering how much I love it but Weber is grating on my last nerve with endless dialogue repeats. Ex: at the end of countless chapters someone will say a random line.."Neither am I." a sentence will pass then again they repeat themselves "Neither am I." I seriously can't count how many times a ch has ended this way but it gets fucking annoying! Not enjoying 6 very much at 125 pgs in. To many info dumps and to many back to back pgs dealing with tech issues in factories. Seriously I don't care about Fire oil seed trees and fire vines or how to make this and that. Just get on with it! 6 has been worse then bk 4 so far.

New to Weber, are we?

[Melnibonean Wanderer]

Bleak Seasons by Glen Cook

[Andorion]

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 04:43 AM, said:

Yes it's my 1st time with him. He does that repeat shit in others? I can see why giving the story of Safehold he's including this tech stuff but he can certainly go on and on and on with boring info dumps.

He's on my radar to read others by him but after I finish Safehold it's going to be awhile before I start another series by him

When the story is actually moving is fun as fuck.

I did warn you about the infodumps BK.

He loves to do long internal monologue infodumps, huge tech developments and religion and society issues. And he likes to centre these around a military narrative.

[Slow Ben]

Moved Fall Of Light to my bathroom book. I find i enjoy this book MUCH more in smaller doses.


Started NIck Offerman's Paddle Your Own Canoe.

[Aptorian]

Cause, on 01 January 2017 - 06:00 PM, said:

I have decided to tackle the 21 Reacher Novels. I think it will become stale at some point so if you have a suggestion of a another series I can mix things up with that would be much appreciated.

Don't. I tried to get into the Reacher series this summer because of my love of the film and just couldn't do it. I don't know if the series magically improves at some point but I read 2,5 books and it was like pulling teeth. The premise is often interesting but the execution is coma inducing.

A lot of the books problems come from being old books, they start in the 90s I think. Reacher is an interesting guy but he's written like a 40 year old Hipster. He's got some of that Harry Dresden chilvalry going but he's written like a horny idiot. He's got that smart mouth of Dresden but he comes off overly smart. And the bad guys are cartoon monsters. They constantly torture secondary characters to show how evil and bad they are and how good Reacher is. Typically this goodness is proven by him rescuing the female lead of the book from being raped/tortured/burned/what ever.

The film was definitely a lot more fun than the books I read.

This post has been edited by Apt: 03 January 2017 - 11:50 AM

[QuickTidal]

Apt, on 02 January 2017 - 03:05 PM, said:

Cause, on 01 January 2017 - 06:00 PM, said:

I have decided to tackle the 21 Reacher Novels. I think it will become stale at some point so if you have a suggestion of a another series I can mix things up with that would be much appreciated.

Don't. I tried to get into the Reacher series this summer because of my love of the film and just couldn't do it. I don't know if the series magically improves at some point but I read 2,5 books and it was like pulling teeth. The premise is often interesting but the execution is coma inducing.

A lot of the books problems come from being old books, they start in the 90s I think. Reacher is an interesting guy but he's written lick a 40 year old teenager. He's got some of that Harry Dresden chilvalry going but he's written like a horny idiot. He's got that smart mouth of Dresden but he comes off overly smart. And the bad guys are cartoon monsters. They constantly torture secondary characters to show how evil and bad they are and how good Dresden is. Typically this goodness is proven by him rescuing the female lead of the book from being raped/tortured/burned/what ever.

The film was definitely a lot more fun than the books I read.

My problem with them was the Short. Sentences. All. The. Time.

That man can't craft a decently long sentence to save his life. They are literally books full of short-attention-spanned-comments.

[Abyss]

Abyss, on 02 January 2017 - 04:21 AM, said:

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 04:04 AM, said:

I seem to be blasting Safehold quite a bit considering how much I love it but Weber is grating on my last nerve with endless dialogue repeats. Ex: at the end of countless chapters someone will say a random line.."Neither am I." a sentence will pass then again they repeat themselves "Neither am I." I seriously can't count how many times a ch has ended this way but it gets fucking annoying! Not enjoying 6 very much at 125 pgs in. To many info dumps and to many back to back pgs dealing with tech issues in factories. Seriously I don't care about Fire oil seed trees and fire vines or how to make this and that. Just get on with it! 6 has been worse then bk 4 so far.

New to Weber, are we?

Andorion, on 02 January 2017 - 06:46 AM, said:

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 04:43 AM, said:

Yes it's my 1st time with him. He does that repeat shit in others? I can see why giving the story of Safehold he's including this tech stuff but he can certainly go on and on and on with boring info dumps.

He's on my radar to read others by him but after I finish Safehold it's going to be awhile before I start another series by him

When the story is actually moving is fun as fuck.

I did warn you about the infodumps BK.

He loves to do long internal monologue infodumps, huge tech developments and religion and society issues. And he likes to centre these around a military narrative.

Yep.
I have read a LOT of Weber, from back when Baen Books gave away its massive back catalog for free and like half the books were Weber and half the remainder were his cowriter protégés like Ringo, White, etc.
He is a genius at setting the stage for conflict, at taking very basic world building concepts and making them fun/interesting, and at writing action.

His characters, dialogue, interpersonal conflict, plot advancement, are basically the same in each book, give or take an overly ambitious junior officer and a moustache twirling villain here or there.

I maxed out eventually, but they were fun reads - the BAHZELL books are stupidly enjoyable fantasy, and STARS AT WAR is a study in how to up the conflict levels in each successive book in a series when the first book has massive space armadas blasting the living fuckstars out of each other. Just have to temper your expectations and know when to take a break.

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 02 January 2017 - 03:22 PM, said:

Abyss, on 02 January 2017 - 04:21 AM, said:

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 04:04 AM, said:

I seem to be blasting Safehold quite a bit considering how much I love it but Weber is grating on my last nerve with endless dialogue repeats. Ex: at the end of countless chapters someone will say a random line.."Neither am I." a sentence will pass then again they repeat themselves "Neither am I." I seriously can't count how many times a ch has ended this way but it gets fucking annoying! Not enjoying 6 very much at 125 pgs in. To many info dumps and to many back to back pgs dealing with tech issues in factories. Seriously I don't care about Fire oil seed trees and fire vines or how to make this and that. Just get on with it! 6 has been worse then bk 4 so far.

New to Weber, are we?

Andorion, on 02 January 2017 - 06:46 AM, said:

Briar King, on 02 January 2017 - 04:43 AM, said:

Yes it's my 1st time with him. He does that repeat shit in others? I can see why giving the story of Safehold he's including this tech stuff but he can certainly go on and on and on with boring info dumps.

He's on my radar to read others by him but after I finish Safehold it's going to be awhile before I start another series by him

When the story is actually moving is fun as fuck.

I did warn you about the infodumps BK.

He loves to do long internal monologue infodumps, huge tech developments and religion and society issues. And he likes to centre these around a military narrative.

Yep.
I have read a LOT of Weber, from back when Baen Books gave away its massive back catalog for free and like half the books were Weber and half the remainder were his cowriter protégés like Ringo, White, etc.
He is a genius at setting the stage for conflict, at taking very basic world building concepts and making them fun/interesting, and at writing action.

His characters, dialogue, interpersonal conflict, plot advancement, are basically the same in each book, give or take an overly ambitious junior officer and a moustache twirling villain here or there.

I maxed out eventually, but they were fun reads - the BAHZELL books are stupidly enjoyable fantasy, and STARS AT WAR is a study in how to up the conflict levels in each successive book in a series when the first book has massive space armadas blasting the living fuckstars out of each other. Just have to temper your expectations and know when to take a break.

The Stars at War are still my tickle-space-battle-fetish go to books. I always have them at hand. Simple, formulaic, but oh-so-satisfying

Honr Harringto is a series I have distinctly mixed feelings about - the first 5 or so books were very very good, book 2 verging on excellent. But that series got utterly swallowed up by bloat and split into sub series, though I will admit that a couple of the books of those sub-series were actually pretty good.

I haven't read anything else by him though.

[Abyss]

I've attempted the HONOR series a few times, but each time i get into the first book, I recognize all the Weber'isms I've read in other, far shorter, series by him, and get bored.

[Mentalist]

Finished "When the Heavens Fall" last night round 3 AM. The book really picks up and Turner pulls off the convergence well. It's no Erikson (the book really lacks a unique hook), but it's certainly better than Sanderson.

For my commute, gonna do a quick "Alloy of law" re-read, before moving onto "Shadows of Self"

At home, I'm gonna give Kameron Hurley's "Mirror Empire" a read, since I recently saw Book 2 in store.
EDIT: before that, though, to ensure I don't get an "epic overload", I'll read Stephenson's "Seveneves"....

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 02 January 2017 - 06:57 PM

[Melnibonean Wanderer]

Anyone here ever read Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff? I'm looking for some fantasy with a Shinto/Asian mythology feel to it.

[Mentalist]

Melnibonean Wanderer, on 02 January 2017 - 06:27 PM, said:

Anyone here ever read Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff? I'm looking for some fantasy with a Shinto/Asian mythology feel to it.

I've bought it, not read yet.

I think QT read that series a while ago.

off the top of my head Asian-themed reccos:
Chris Wooding "the Braided Path" trilogy
Daniel Abraham's "Long Price" Quartet
Sean Russell's "Initiate Brother" Duology
GGKay's "Under heaven" + "River of Stars"
Ken Liu "Dandellion Dynasty"

Most of these are more pseudo-Chinese, though.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 02 January 2017 - 06:31 PM

[QuickTidal]

Mentalist, on 02 January 2017 - 06:28 PM, said:

Melnibonean Wanderer, on 02 January 2017 - 06:27 PM, said:

Anyone here ever read Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff? I'm looking for some fantasy with a Shinto/Asian mythology feel to it.

I've bought it, not read yet.

I think QT read that series a while ago.

I did read it. The first book was really solid. The second wandered a bit wide but was still really good. I've not yet read the third.

It's definitely a steampunky shinto feudal Japanese fantasy series, and it hits all those notes quite well. Read the first book and see if it's up your alley. I can easily recommend it.