[Whisperzzzzzzz]

QuickTidal, on 02 February 2017 - 06:15 PM, said:

Andorion, on 02 February 2017 - 06:02 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 02 February 2017 - 03:34 PM, said:

Stalled out on SAINT'S BLOOD by de Castell...will come back to it.

in a rush and not knowing what I was in the mood for this morning, I grabbed FULGRIM by Graham Macneill. You know, I'm not fond of this story trope they've done for the Horus series so far where each book overlaps a large portion of the previous book(s). The bits of this one that take place at the same time or even BEFORE the Heresy stuff on Istvan III...bother the shit out of me. I'm not in the mood for this I think...

will need to grab something else from the pile tonight I think.

QT, give Iron Ship and City of Ice by KM Mckinley a shot. Very enjoyable industrial fantasy.

Also if you have not read Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time definitely read it. SE commented very favourably about it recently.

polishgenius, on 02 February 2017 - 06:10 PM, said:

I was surprised by quite how much I enjoyed Children of Time, given I stalled out of Shadows of the Apt three books in.

Oh really?

Hmmmm...you know if I like it, this would be another rPG/QT Stamp of Approval book.

I'll look into it guys!

Erikson gave it a respectable shout-out in Sergiej's interview: "I thought Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time was not only brilliant, but well-deserving of the Arthur C. Clarke award — and I’d love to read more in that universe."

[polishgenius]

Mind you, QT (and everyone else), you should also consider giving a try to the series I've been banging on about the last couple of weeks, Josiah Bancroft's Senlin Ascends/Arm of the Sphinx. I'd never guarantee a double stamp given the differences of our tastes, but these books get as close as I'd get to doing so, they really seem like they'd be right up your alley. And they're so much fun!

[QuickTidal]

polishgenius, on 02 February 2017 - 07:18 PM, said:

Mind you, QT (and everyone else), you should also consider giving a try to the series I've been banging on about the last couple of weeks, Josiah Bancroft's Senlin Ascends/Arm of the Sphinx. I'd never guarantee a double stamp given the differences of our tastes, but these books get as close as I'd get to doing so, they really seem like they'd be right up your alley. And they're so much fun!

I'll look into those too.

[Abyss]

They're 'high 'in the eTRP even since Wert gave them heavy pimpin.

That jerk.

[amphibian]

polishgenius, on 02 February 2017 - 07:18 PM, said:

Mind you, QT (and everyone else), you should also consider giving a try to the series I've been banging on about the last couple of weeks, Josiah Bancroft's Senlin Ascends/Arm of the Sphinx. I'd never guarantee a double stamp given the differences of our tastes, but these books get as close as I'd get to doing so, they really seem like they'd be right up your alley. And they're so much fun!

The Bancroft books are incredible.

They make Butcher's Cinder Spires book look pedestrian and people here really enjoyed that.

[Macros]

Tiste Simeon, on 02 February 2017 - 07:10 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 02 February 2017 - 07:08 AM, said:

Finished the 2nd Troy book. Pretty intense ending, I hope for a few things in book 3:

Hektor vs Achilles 2: Electric Boogaloo
Helikaon in mad kill spree across the med
Odysseus takes out Agamemnon in surprise twist, coming out of nowhere with a STEEL CHAIR!
Andromache knees Priam in the plums.

Well one of these has already began in the prologue! Good times!

Aw man I totally forgot about the prologue to book 3.
Odysseus coming into Agamemnon's megaron on a zip line and chairing him to the back of the head.
Achilles taking out two of the followers with a stone cold stunner and a peoples elbow was just tits!

[End of Disc One]

Which series will you finish first, Safehold or Outlander?

To me this is more compelling than wondering which book will come out first, The Winds of Winter or Doors of Stone.

[Stalker]

amphibian, on 02 February 2017 - 08:21 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 02 February 2017 - 07:18 PM, said:

Mind you, QT (and everyone else), you should also consider giving a try to the series I've been banging on about the last couple of weeks, Josiah Bancroft's Senlin Ascends/Arm of the Sphinx. I'd never guarantee a double stamp given the differences of our tastes, but these books get as close as I'd get to doing so, they really seem like they'd be right up your alley. And they're so much fun!

The Bancroft books are incredible.

They make Butcher's Cinder Spires book look pedestrian and people here really enjoyed that.

I've been firmly aboard the Bancroft train too, since the first review from Mark Lawrence's self published book contest. His book didn't make it to the next round, but certainly deserved to. This is an indie gem for sure and absolutely worth a read. Very unique and engrossing.

[Mentalist]

Ok, Hunt got good again. Like "I almost missed my stop, got home and kept reading" good.

[amphibian]

Finished Babylon's Ashes (Corey) and The Hanging Tree (Aaronovitch).

Babylon was a bump up in terms of politics and space ship battles. It continues the turmoil in the Sol system and spends a ton of time with maybe ten characters. I liked it quite a bit, although the last one remains my favorite of the series.

The Hanging Tree is great. Aaronovitch is superb at getting us back in the groove and he finally gets Peter to a point of competence that's allowing of cool confrontations. The plot works in a way that makes more sense than previous iterations.

[Andorion]

Mentalist, on 03 February 2017 - 04:58 AM, said:

Ok, Hunt got good again. Like "I almost missed my stop, got home and kept reading" good.

I intend to start this series soon.... so many books....

[Andorion]

amphibian, on 03 February 2017 - 05:00 AM, said:

Finished Babylon's Ashes (Corey) and The Hanging Tree (Aaronovitch).

Babylon was a bump up in terms of politics and space ship battles. It continues the turmoil in the Sol system and spends a ton of time with maybe ten characters. I liked it quite a bit, although the last one remains my favorite of the series.

The Hanging Tree is great. Aaronovitch is superb at getting us back in the groove and he finally gets Peter to a point of competence that's allowing of cool confrontations. The plot works in a way that makes more sense than previous iterations.

Babylon's Ashes was great but I hope the next books will deal with the alien aspect more

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Just started Susan Crawford's Captive Audience about the current state of the telecom industry in the US and how it became the hegemony of the few that it is today. I feel like I will already know most of what will be covered, but it never hurts to refresh and get a new perspective.

[QuickTidal]

End of Disc One, on 02 February 2017 - 09:43 PM, said:

Which series will you finish first, Safehold or Outlander?

To me this is more compelling than wondering which book will come out first, The Winds of Winter or Doors of Stone.

Outlander isn't done yet. Gabaldon has a new volume out this year.

Got HELLBOY & THE BPRD: 1953 for my Birthday yesterday, so I've been plowing through that. And it is, of course, pure excellence.

I also got some Terry Pratchett, so I'm starting REAPER MAN after I'm done with the HB trade.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 03 February 2017 - 01:47 PM

[Abyss]

Andorion, on 03 February 2017 - 05:11 AM, said:

amphibian, on 03 February 2017 - 05:00 AM, said:

Finished Babylon's Ashes (Corey) and The Hanging Tree (Aaronovitch).

Babylon was a bump up in terms of politics and space ship battles. It continues the turmoil in the Sol system and spends a ton of time with maybe ten characters. I liked it quite a bit, although the last one remains my favorite of the series.

The Hanging Tree is great. Aaronovitch is superb at getting us back in the groove and he finally gets Peter to a point of competence that's allowing of cool confrontations. The plot works in a way that makes more sense than previous iterations.

Babylon's Ashes was great but I hope the next books will deal with the alien aspect more

Seems likely given how things were left at the end.
The key Earth-Mars-Belt storylines are more or less wrapped while the post Gate colonies are wide open, plus whatever is going on in that one 'special' colony.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 03 February 2017 - 05:00 AM, said:

The Hanging Tree is great. Aaronovitch is superb at getting us back in the groove and he finally gets Peter to a point of competence that's allowing of cool confrontations. The plot works in a way that makes more sense than previous iterations.

Happy to read this, very psyched for this book. Can't quite decide whether I'll go ebook or earbook, but either way it's next in the TRP once i'm done with Brandon's ARCANUM.

[End of Disc One]

I haven't read the latest Expanse book yet, but I've been saying "hopefully we'll get more alien stuff next book" since the very beginning.

[amphibian]

End of Disc One, on 03 February 2017 - 06:29 PM, said:

I haven't read the latest Expanse book yet, but I've been saying "hopefully we'll get more alien stuff next book" since the very beginning.

I think the writers really needed time to figure out WTF the protomolecule and gates will lead to and they've basically given us one huge distraction with the Sol system happenings while they figured that out.

I hope the above is the case because if we get more human-only politicking/action in the next book, then I'm going to be a bunch sour.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 03 February 2017 - 06:45 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 03 February 2017 - 06:29 PM, said:

I haven't read the latest Expanse book yet, but I've been saying "hopefully we'll get more alien stuff next book" since the very beginning.

I think the writers really needed time to figure out WTF the protomolecule and gates will lead to and they've basically given us one huge distraction with the Sol system happenings while they figured that out.

I hope the above is the case because if we get more human-only politicking/action in the next book, then I'm going to be a bunch sour.

I dunno. Without going spoilers in this thread, i think it's fair to say the alien stuff has been there since the beginning. It's just not the focus of the story. GATE, arguably the most alien-centric of the series so far, was also the least interesting.

[amphibian]

Abyss, on 03 February 2017 - 06:58 PM, said:

I dunno. Without going spoilers in this thread, i think it's fair to say the alien stuff has been there since the beginning. It's just not the focus of the story. GATE, arguably the most alien-centric of the series so far, was also the least interesting.

What I'm saying is that the "least interesting" part is because Corey hasn't figured out where in the giant sandbox to go with that chunk of the story. They put into place key parts of Babylon's Ashes and Nemesis Games as far back as Abbadon's Gate and Cibola Burn. They have thus far signaled that they have interest in aliens beyond the remnants of gone civilizations and the protomolecule keeps popping back up. The clearest bit of scene setting has been materials science thus far and the disappearance of odd ships.

I think it's coming, but they had to figure out where exactly to go with the alien stuff, and if that required changes in the Sol system stuff as well. Planning the track before they start laying it, so to speak.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 03 February 2017 - 11:11 PM